Bucknell University
American
Bucknell Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision at American in League Opener
9/23/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 23, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius College Prep) recorded nearly a one-third of the Bison's kills and shared the team lead in digs, but American proved too strong and defeated Bucknell volleyball in straight sets in the Patriot League opener at Bender Arena on Friday night. It was the fourth time in six matches that Mientus reached double-figure kills, totaling 10 against the Eagles.
Mientus ranks second on the team with 79 total kills this season, but leads Bucknell (3-7, 0-1) in kills per set with a 3.43 average. The sophomore and her teammates had a tough task with American (7-9, 1-0), however. The Eagles' victory came with set scores of 25-22, 25-11 and 25-16.
Bucknell held a lead early in the first set, but American chipped away at it until it took the 8-7 advantage on a block. The Bison hung around and eventually pulled back to within a single point at almost the last minute. Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) teamed up for a block of their own, making the score 23-22. American kept the danger at bay, however, and closed out the opening frame with a kill and a service ace.
Neither team finished the first set with a particularly strong attack percentage as both came in at under .200. The second set could not have been more different than the first. American found its rhythm after the shaky start and improved its hitting dramatically in the second. The Eagles earned an attack percentage of .682, compared to .174 for the Bison. Bucknell fell behind quickly, trailing 11-2 from the get-go. The Bison never recovered, and found themselves with a two-set deficit.
Bucknell battled back from two sets down last weekend against Stony Brook, but the same outcome was not in the cards this Friday night. The Bison drew within two points in the third set on a kill from Ellenberger, and Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep) kept the Eagles' lead at three points with a kill of her own for 14-11. Bucknell could get no closer. American then took 11 of the next 16 points to earn its first conference match of the fall.
"We came out strong in the match. We just didn't do a good job defensively. When we did play well defensively, we were in the match, the first and third sets especially," said head coach Cindy Opalski. "When the other team hits 92 balls, and you only dig 21 of them, you're in big trouble. Hopefully tomorrow we can improve that defensive production and get back on track."
In addition to her team-best 10 kills, Mientus tallied five digs. Morgan Markarian (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) also had five digs on the night. Tauscher led the squad with 21 assists, and Ellenberger tallied three blocks. Ellenberger is up to 37 total blocks on the year, nearly 1.0 per set.
Three Eagles reached double figures in kills, led by Juliana Crum with 12. Sara Rishell and Rebecca Heath added 11 apiece. Monika Smidova finished with 32 assists.
Bucknell will go for its first Patriot League win of the season tomorrow when it plays at Navy at 4 p.m.
