Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Bucknell Volleyball Swept at Holy Cross, 3-0
11/11/2011 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2011
WORCESTER, Mass. - With the season's end fast approaching, Bucknell volleyball was unable to find the same magic that allowed it to sweep Holy Cross earlier in the season, and the Bison took a 3-0 loss to the Crusaders in Worcester, Mass., on Friday night. Having fallen 25-20, 25-21, 25-21, Bucknell (6-16, 3-10 PL) will now look to Army for tomorrow night's final match of the year.
Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) led Bucknell with nine kills, and Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) posted a team-best six blocks. Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) also had a hand in the Bison's defensive effort with 13 digs.
Sawanobori's four service aces was a team high as well, with two of those aces coming in the first two points of the match as Bucknell opened with a 3-0 mini-run. Holy Cross (9-21, 5-8 PL) then rattled off an 11-1 streak to give an early impression that it might run off with the set. A 10-2 run for Bucknell quickly turned the tables, however. A McAhren kill set the score at 14-13 and just like that, the Bison were back in front.
A Bucknell service error gave Holy Cross back the lead for good at 16-15. The major swings in momentum that first set were over after that point and the score stayed close as play wore on. It was the Crusaders that had the final word with a 25-20 decision as Megan Lynch and Liz Ashton recorded back-to-back kills to give their team the early set lead.
Holy Cross maintained the little bit of momentum it gained at the end of the first set and carried it over into the second. The Crusaders steadily increased its lead to 13-8 before Bucknell was forced into a timeout. The break did little to help the cause unfortunately. The Bison never had a look at an advantage, and the Crusaders went up by two sets with a 25-21 decision with Bucknell's only lead in the frame having come at 1-0.
The third set saw a return to the momentum runs. Bucknell went up 7-3 on a kill from Edoho. A 9-2 Crusaders run, capped off with a kill from Christiana Blakeslee, put them in front 12-9. The Bison never regained their lead, but that does not mean that they went away quietly. Bucknell drew within a single point at 19-18 thanks to another kill from Edoho before three consecutive errors set the Bison back in their comeback bid. The miscues put the victory firmly within Holy Cross' reach, and the night ended on a kill from the Crusaders' all-time kills leader Lynch with a final score of 25-21.
Lynch led all players with 12 kills on Friday, followed by Kathleen Colpoys. Hannah Grace Stokes had the lead in assists with 28 for the Crusaders, while the Bison's assists leader was Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School). Rose Lewis (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) also chipped in 14 assists, tying a career high.
Bucknell will play its final match of the year at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Army.
