Bucknell University
Canisius
Bucknell Volleyball Beats Canisius 3-1, Falls in Straight Sets to Indiana
9/11/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Bucknell volleyball opened its Saturday with a victory, defeating Canisius 3-1 (25-22, 25-27, 25-19, 25-22) on the Golden Griffins' home court at the Niagara/Canisius Invitational. Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) was named to the All-Tournament Team after leading the Bison with 14 kills, and Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) added 13 in the match. Kamp again posted strong numbers with six kills against Indiana in the day's final match, but the Bison (2-7) fell 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-18) to close out competition.
Bucknell got off to a bit of a slow start in the day's first contest and, despite taking the opening two points as Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) posted a kill and teamed up with Kamp for a block assist, Canisius (4-7) took a 6-2 lead early. The Bison then slowly chipped away at the advantage the Golden Griffins had built. Bucknell eventually came back within two points before forcing Canisius into a timeout. The stoppage in play did little for the home team, however, as Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) tallied two kills right off the bat for 11-11.
The Bison were unable to take the lead at that time, but the point differential continued to hover around one. Bucknell finally pulled in front thanks to a Canisius attack error, setting the score at 15-14. The Orange and Blue's offense helped to create some breathing room. Kamp, Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) and Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./Saint Ignatius College Prep) gave Bucknell kills on four of the match's next five points. Canisius could not make up the difference down the stretch, and Kamp closed out the set with her fourth kill.
Bucknell hit .303 in the set, marking their highest attack percentage of the night. The team ultimately finished the match hitting .233, which was a season high. Head coach Cindy Opalski took note of the team's improving offense.
"That was probably our best match of the season thus far," said Opalski at the completion of play. "Some of our younger players made good contributions, but most importantly, we got the ball to our setter, and our middle did a great job blocking as well as hitting."
Bucknell's middle hitters did their best to make themselves known in the second set as the Bison tried to sneak out another set victory. Bucknell trailed through much of the first half of the frame but took a lead at 12-11 after Kamp and Titley combined for three straight kills.
McAhren served an ace for 17-14 to give the Bison their biggest lead of the set, but where the squad had been able to create space in the opening frame, Canisius hung around and continued to threaten Bucknell. The set saw eight ties after the service ace, including 24-24. The Golden Griffins' Allyson Severyn tied the frame with a kill and erased the Bison's lone set point. Although Jackson again knotted things up at 25 all, Bucknell slipped in the end to take a 27-25 loss.
The third set was one of runs, and Bucknell ended up having the final word. The Bison ironed out their wrinkles from the previous tough loss and took a 12-2 lead out of the gates. Bucknell got production from several players during that stretch including Kamp, who tallied a pair of kills, and Jackson and Mientus, who each earned a kill and a block assist.
Canisius responded with its own run, shrinking Bucknell's lead to 13-8. The Golden Griffins then began committing errors to open the door for the final push Bucknell needed. Bucknell's offense again heated up and Canisius was unable to recover from its miscues. With a block assist from Jackson and Ellenberger, the Bison took a one-set lead heading into the fourth.
Bucknell jumped out in front early for the second consecutive frame, going ahead 6-1 after a pair of service aces from Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and a kill from Kamp. That advantage held for some time, but good fortune ran out for the Bison after Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) set the score at 17-11 with a kill. Canisius went on a 9-1 run that gave it its first lead of the set at 20-18. The Golden Griffins were aided by five consecutive kills at the end of that streak, including two apiece from Jasmine Brennan and Emily Elek.
Despite their new deficit, the Bison knew the finish line was in sight and they did not give up that easily. Bucknell put together one final run that even two Canisius timeouts could not stop. Titley tallied a kill to tie the set at 21 all, and Meintus reclaimed the lead with a service ace on the next point. With Jackson's final kill of the afternoon, Bucknell had its second win of the season.
Jackson's 14 kills was one shy of her career high, which she set last season as a freshman. Titley did reach some personal milestones, recording career bests in kills (9), digs (9) and blocks (3). Mientus also set career-high marks in digs (10) and blocks (2). Kamp's 13 kills tied a season high for the senior. Rodriguez led all players with 33 assists.
The outcome of the Bison's final match of the tournament was much different as Bucknell fell in straight sets to an undefeated Indiana (10-0). The Bison were unable to inflict the same amount of offensive control on the Hoosiers, tallying just 19 kills compared to 42 for Indiana. The Hoosiers also held the advantage in attack percentage, .271 to .013.
Ellenberger and Titley helped Bucknell get on the board early in the first set with a block assist, and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) and Kamp added kills to come within two of the Hoosiers at 6-4. Indiana answered with eight unanswered points, however, and Bucknell never recovered.
A 5-0 run by Bucknell later in the set only slowed Indiana on its way to a first-set win, 25-14.
Kamp and Jackson each finished the first set with three kills, and Kamp did her best to keep that going in the second. The middle blocker failed to receive much support, however, as she was the only Bison to record a kill in the frame. Kamp also teamed with Ellenberger and Edoho on two separate occasions for block assists, but it still was not enough as Bucknell took a 15-point loss. Indiana claimed nine of the matches final 11 points for a swift final of 25-10.
More Bison were able to get in on the act in the final set, but Indiana continued to dominate. Morgan Clark (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) gave Bucknell its first point with her first kill of the night, and Kamp and McAhren soon followed suit. Clark and McAhren both finished the set and the match with three kills apiece.
Bucknell hung into the beginning of the set, coming within three points after an ace from Rodriguez. Indiana's steady play did not allow much to come of it though. The Bison recorded a negative attack percentage in the set, making a sustainable comeback all but impossible. With the Hoosiers hitting .250, they collected their 10th win on the season with a 25-18 final score.
Joining Kamp's team-best six kills was Rodriguez with 12 assists. Leylin Marroquin (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) finished with six digs, and Kamp and Ellenberger each tallied two blocks.
Bucknell will return to the court Sept. 17-18 for the Columbia Classic. The Bison will open with Fairleigh Dickinson at 5 p.m. on Friday. Saturday's opponents include Columbia at 11 a.m. and Fordham at 5 p.m.
