Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
7-1
Saint Peter's
2-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucknell | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
| Saint Peter's | 17 | 16 | 25 | 10 | 1 |
Volleyball Off to Best Start in Program History After 3-0 Weekend
9/14/2019 7:12:00 PM | Volleyball
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Bucknell completed its second-consecutive 3-0 weekend with a pair of wins on Saturday at the CCSU Invitational. Now at 8-1, the Bison are off to an all-time best start to a season through nine matches.
Bucknell 3, Saint Peter's 1 (25-17, 25-16, 23-25, 25-10)
Sophie Bullard tallied 16 kills and 23 digs in the Bison's 3-1 win over Saint Peter's Saturday morning. After letting Saint Peter's steal the third set, Bucknell held the Peacocks to just 10 points in a dominant fourth set that resulted in a sixth-consecutive victory.
The Bison put together an 11-2 run to begin the fourth, and outscored the Peacocks 12-2 down the stretch to win it.
Bullard shined in the second and third sets, recording seven kills in each. With 5.75 digs per set, Bullard secured a third double-double for the season. The senior was followed closely by a 14-kill, 16-dig performance by junior Anna Carroll.
As a team, the Bison led in all major categories other than blocks, where they matched Saint Peter's with eight. The team recorded a season-high 58 assists in the match, including 44 from freshman Kelsey O'Loughlin. It was the third time this season the two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week surpassed 40 assists.
Other notable performances included a 14-kill match for senior Bridgette Holland and a nine-assist outing for senior Selby Schnobrich.
Bucknell 3, CCSU 2, (25-14, 28-30, 25-16, 13-25, 15-10)
Career-highs by Brooke Stark, Lisa Zoch, and O'Loughlin carried the Bison past the tournament hosts in a back-and-forth five-set contest. It was the fifth road win of the season for Bucknell.
After winning set one, Bucknell wound up on the wrong end of a 30-28 second set, but rallied to win the third and fifth. It was in the fifth set that Stark recorded her 35th dig of the match, which is a career-high for the senior. Stark surpassed 1,000 digs for her career last weekend.
Zoch also had a career day, posting 12 kills and three total blocks. Fellow freshman O'Loughlin provided a career-high 55 assists in the match. Her 12 digs also matched a career-high and gave the freshman a fifth double-double for the season.
In all, five Bison recorded double-digit kills in the win. Bullard led the team with 17, followed by Mimi Richards' 13. As a unit, the Bison maintained a .277 hitting percentage throughout.
Stark was named MVP of the tournament, while Bullard and Holland each made the All-Tournament team.
"Great performance. I'm very proud of this team for playing together, staying together, and fighting together, all 19 of us," said head coach Anna Allison. "It's very exciting to see us grow with every match."
Bucknell returns home to host the Bison Invitational September 20 and 21. The Bison will face Hampton, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Delaware State over the two-day tournament. The team then jumps into Patriot League play with a home match against Lehigh on September 28.Â
