Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Army
Army Hands Bucknell Volleyball 3-0 Loss at Davis Gym
10/14/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Both teams struggled offensively, but it was Army that had the necessary edge as it handed Bucknell volleyball a 3-0 loss at Davis Gym on Friday night. The Bison dropped to 4-11 overall and 1-5 in the Patriot League after falling by a score of 25-21, 25-21, 25-15 in front of an enthusiastic crowd on their home court. The Black Knights improved to 14-6 on the season and 5-1 in league play.
Unlike in previous meetings, offensive efficiency from both teams was missing from Friday night's match. Army hit .097 for the night, recording an attack percentage of better than .100 in just one set. Bucknell also struggled, finishing at -.019.
With the Black Knights being less than sharp, the Bison got the opportunity they needed to make a move on the team currently in second in the Patriot League standings. Bucknell led as late as 18-16 in the first set before a 7-1 run for Army gave them one of their biggest leads of the night. The Black Knights eventually closed it out 25-21 thanks to an attack error from the Bison.
After the first set, both teams had tallied just eight kills. On Bucknell's side, only Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius College Prep) had more than one kill. Ariana Manuks had four for Army, while Megan Wilton and Fabiola Castro combined for the remainder.
Set number two followed a similar pattern with Bucknell hanging around early. Army did finally put some distance between it and the Bison, going up 21-14 on a kill by Wilton. This time it was Bucknell's turn for a run as it ran off seven of the next nine points to draw within 23-21. Miscues struck hard and at the most opportune moment, however, and ended the comeback effort. Back-to-back attack errors on the final two points gave Army the set by another 25-21 score.
The final set featured steadier play from Army and less back-and-forth action for both teams. By the time the Bison called a timeout with the scoreboard reading 11-7, the Black Knights had gotten a grasp on the match and was not about to let it head to extra frames. Amanda Hall (Los Angeles, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) saved one match point with her only kill of the night, but Bucknell's deficit was too much as they fell 25-15.
Bucknell got kills from 10 different players, but the high went to Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) with five. Margaux Jarka led Army with 10 kills.
The Bison will be back in action at 5 p.m. tomorrow when they host Holy Cross at Davis Gym.
