Bucknell University
American
Bucknell Volleyball Falls 3-1 in Patriot League Opener to American
9/24/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 24, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell volleyball pushed American to four sets and out-blocked the Eagles in the teams' Patriot League opener, but the Bison could not pull off the upset falling 3-1 (25-23, 25-19, 30-32, 25-15) in Davis Gym on Friday night. Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) led the team with 11 kills and took over third place on the program's all-time block assists ledger after posting a match-high six blocks.
The Bison (2-11, 0-1) had several good looks at a victory throughout the match. Despite seeing the opening set slip away late in the game, Bucknell continued to battle. The Orange and Blue's effort finally paid off in a back-and-forth third set. Neither team was able to pull ahead by more than a few points throughout play, but the Bison came up big when it really mattered. American (12-2, 1-0) earned its first match point on a kill by Juliana Crum. Facing a 25-21 loss, the Bison saved two straight match points, first getting a kill from Kamp and then getting some help from an Eagles attack error.
Bucknell soon drew its first set point on the night at 26-25. The teams then began trading points down the stretch. Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) erased a third match point with a kill for 27-27, and Angelina Waterman got it right back with a kill of her own for 28-27. Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) gave Bucknell a boost off the bench to re-tie the set with a kill and followed it with her third service ace of the set.
American tied the set twice more before the end of play, but Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) had the final word. The junior recorded back-to-back kills off assists from Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) to give the Bison a 32-30 victory and the Eagles just its seventh set loss in 14 matches.
Baumgarten closed out the set with five of her eight kills on the night. Kamp added two of her own in addition to a pair of block assists. Those blocks pushed the senior past Hall of Famer Katie Steele on the program's all-time list, giving her 241 block assists in her career, good for third in Bucknell history.
Bucknell could have had a 2-1 set advantage, but a strong American offense late in the first frame reversed the team's fortunes. The Bison came out of the gates looking strong and took an early 7-2 lead following a kill from Jackson. Although American clawed back to within a single point at 8-7, Bucknell did not relinquish its advantage immediately. The Bison grew their lead back to seven with kills from Baumgarten, Kamp and Morgan Clark (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley), forcing the Eagles into a timeout.
The stoppage in play worked in American's favor. After trailing 19-12, the Eagles ended the match on a 13-4 run that included 10 kills, five of which came off the arm of Magdalena Tekiel. American ultimately claimed the last seven points of the set, putting it in the driver's seat for much of the match.
After the disappointing loss, Bucknell opened play in the second set a bit flat. A series of errors kept the Bison from really sinking their teeth into the frame until late. American took its largest lead of the set at 18-10 before Kamp helped to turn the tables. Kamp's kill jump started a 9-2 run for Bucknell that also included back-to-back blocks from Jackson. The Bison had their second look at a set victory that night, but were again unable to clear that final hurdle. After coming to within one at 20-19, the Eagles claimed the final five points of the frame for the 25-19 win.
Jackson eventually finished the night with five total blocks, including a match-best three block solos. Her and Kamp's efforts on the front line gave Bucknell a 12-11 advantage in total team blocks for the night.
Jackson continued to anchor the Bison defensively in the fourth despite the team's let-down after its third-set win. Bucknell fell behind early although it stayed within striking distance for some time. Jackson and Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) teamed up for a block at 13-7. Kamp and Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) did the same a few points later to keep American's advantage at six.
Bucknell was unable to make up the difference this time, however. Much like it had in previous sets, American finished on a strong note, claiming 12 of the match's final 18 points to hand Bucknell its first loss of the Patriot League schedule.
In addition to her five blocks, Jackson finished with nine kills, and Clark and Baumgarten added eight. Rodriguez posted a team-best 22 assists, while Leylin Marroquin (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) chipped in 13 digs.
American had three players in double figures for kills, led by Tekiel with 22. Alexandra Hammer added 43 assists.
Bucknell will play for its first league win of the season when it hosts Navy at 5 p.m. tomorrow night. Live stats on GameTracker will be available at BucknellBison.com.
