Bucknell University
Navy
Bucknell Volleyball Hangs Around for 3-1 Win Over Navy
10/21/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 21, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell volleyball received some powerful performances from its veterans on Senior Night and the effort paid off as the Bison defeated Navy 3-1 at Davis Gym on Friday night. Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) tied her season high with 15 kills, and Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) added a career-best 11 kills and eight blocks to push the Bison past the Midshipmen 25-27, 25-23, 25-23, 25-22.
McAhren put together one of most efficient matches of her career. The senior made it through more than three sets before committing her first attack error and ultimately finished the night hitting .462 (15-3-26). Ellenberger was also successful on better than one-third of her attacks, and the two led Bucknell (6-11, 3-5 PL) to a team attack percentage of .240. Navy (6-17, 1-7 PL) hit .160 as a team, and many of those errors came thanks to Ellenberger. Through two matches against the Mids, she has averaged 8.5 blocks.
As dominant as McAhren and Ellenberger were, Bucknell failed to capture the first set. The opener turned out to be a sign of things to come as neither team was able to run out to much of a lead at any time. The first set saw 12 ties. Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./Justin-Siena) was responsible for one of those ties, recording a kill for 22-22. The senior later saved one set point with another kill, re-knotting the score at 25 apiece. Navy rattled off the next two points, however, to take an early set lead.
The second set was another close affair with seven ties although Bucknell looked as if it might have an easier time of it midway through the action. The Bison went up 19-15 on a service ace from Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills). Navy responded by claiming six of the next seven points, and the Mids were right back in the mix. Unable to sustain the run, Navy ultimately dropped the set after back-to-back blocks for Bucknell.
The Bison closed out the night with 12 total team blocks compared to seven for the Mids. In addition to Ellenberger's eight, Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) and McAhren added four apiece.
The third set started with an early Bucknell lead. That advantage hovered around four points for much of play, but Navy again made a late run. An 8-1 run for the Mids tied the score at 19 all. They never took the lead although they did achieve two more ties before all was said and done. In the end, it was a Navy service error that handed the frame to Bucknell 25-23.
When Bucknell and Navy met in the first round of Patriot League play in September, the Mids came back from two sets down for the win. Knowing that closing out the match would not be an easy task, the Bison battled through another back-and-forth affair in Friday's fourth set. This frame saw 11 ties, six of which came after the score read 15-15.
Ellenberger and Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius Prep) teamed up for a block that gave the Bison their first match point and, although a service error delayed the final victory, Mientus eventually secured it with a kill to end the evening 25-22.
Also posting team highs for the Bison were Sawanobori with 13 digs and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) with 29 assists. Navy's Erin Fortner led all players with 20 kills and 14 digs, while Shelby Mass added 46 assists.
Bucknell will be back in action tomorrow at 5 p.m. when it hosts American at Davis Gym.
