Bucknell University
Eastern Michigan
Bucknell Volleyball Takes a 3-0 Loss to Eastern Michigan
9/3/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell volleyball dominated on the blocking front, but the Bison's 11 total team blocks was not enough to stop Eastern Michigan from claiming a 3-0 win at the Bucknell Invitational on Friday night. Bucknell's record drops to 0-4 on the season after the loss in the home opener at Davis Gym.
Each set followed similar trends as the Bison stayed within a few points of the Eagles (5-0) for much of play before falling behind late. Bucknell even had six-point leads early in the first and third sets but struggled to curb Eastern Michigan's lengthy runs down the stretch.
In the opening frame, Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) put Bucknell up 8-2 with a kill. A second straight service ace by Eastern Michigan's Erin Short a few points later knotted things up at 9-9. The teams tied four more times before Eastern Michigan went on an 8-1 run that included three more aces and put the Eagles up 21-14.. Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) brought Bucknell back within two with a block solo for 21-19, but Eastern Michigan had the closing power, taking a 25-19 decision in the first.
The Eagles totaled six service aces in the set, compared to one for the Bison.
Bucknell trailed early in the second set but never by more than four points. Kills by Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon), Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) and Jackson at various points, brought the Bison to within one, but the final hurdle was never cleared. For the second consecutive set, Bucknell pushed the score to 21-19, this time with a kill by Morgan Clark (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley), and for the second time, Eastern Michigan closed with four straight points for a 25-19 win.
The Bison found their serve briefly to open the final set. Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) kicked things off with back-to-back aces, her first of the season. Kamp and Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) made it 3-0 with a block assist before the Eagles started to find their legs again.
A 10-4 lead following an Eagles attack error soon disappeared as Eastern Michigan went on a 15-4 run. After leading by six, Bucknell trailed by the same margin and never fully recovered. Kamp and Ellenberger threw in a couple of kills in the final moments, and although Bucknell came with two for the third consecutive set at 20-18, the home team suffered the same fate as before. Three straight Bison errors ended the night with the Eagles in front 25-18.
Kamp led the team in kills with five in addition to totaling five blocks. The senior now has 217 block assists in her career, bringing her to within two of tying for fourth on the Bucknell all-time list. Jackson added four kills, including a .444 attack percentage and six blocks.
Eastern Michigan's Kristen Baker led all players with nine kills, and Ashley Mason posted a match-high 26 assists. After serving six aces in the first set, the Eagles finished with just seven on the night. In the first match of the tournament, Iona defeated Providence 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 25-13).
The Bucknell Invitational resumes tomorrow at 10 a.m. with a matchup between Eastern Michigan and Iona. Bucknell will then take on Iona at noon. The Bison's second match of the day will come against Providence at 5 p.m. Live stats for all matches will be available on GameTracker at BucknellBison.com.
