Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
10-1
Fairleigh Dickinson
0-13
Record Broken! Bucknell Volleyball Wins 10th in a Row
9/21/2019 9:05:00 PM | Volleyball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Trailing 24-21 in the fourth set of Saturday evening's match with Delaware State, Bucknell volleyball (11-1) gutted out five straight points to break the school's win-streak record with 10 consecutive victories. The Bison's historic win was preceded by a 3-1 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson earlier in the day to go 3-0 for a third straight weekend.
Bucknell 3, Delaware State 1 (19-25, 25-14, 25-7, 26-24)
The Bison victory was full of crucial scoring runs, including the five straight points scored to win the match. After splitting sets one and two, the Bison went on a 15-0 scoring tear to take an 18-1 lead in the third. The team would allow just six more Hornet points before winning the set.
In the three sets that Bucknell won, the team posted an average hitting percentage of .309. On the other side, the Hornets were in the negative in two of four sets, ending the evening with a .099 percentage. The Bison also led in kills, blocks, assists, digs, and aces.
Mimi Richards stood out with 10 kills on 23 total attempts, and maintained a .348 hitting percentage. It was her seventh match over .300 this season. The senior also recorded five block assists. Fellow senior Sophie Bullard also posted 10 kills and secured a double-double with a team-high 15 digs.
Freshman Kelsey O'Loughlin led the team with 35 assists and supplied four kills on eight attempts. Other notable performances included four block assists for Emma Buchanan, and nine kills for freshman Lisa Zoch.
"We have been working hard to create a good culture, and our seniors have done an outstanding job keeping our team focused," said head coach Anna Allison. "We had a great preseason and grew a lot as a team."
Bucknell 3, FDU 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17)
The Bison's first win of the day, which tied the previous school record of nine straight victories set in 1997, saw three sets that came down to the wire.
While the scores were close, the Bison never trailed in the first set, and the deficit was never greater than two throughout the match.
Buchanan got Bucknell going, scoring on each of her first seven touches. The sophomore ended up with nine kills and three block assists. Just ahead of Buchanan was Bullard, who put together another double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs.
O'Loughlin had an efficient outing, supplying four kills on six attempts and just one error. The freshman also supplied 39 assists. Meanwhile, Stark led the team with 18 digs.
After losing to just one non-league opponent during tournament play, Bucknell gets ready for the Patriot League schedule while sporting a 10-match win streak.
"I'm happy to see that, but now everyone is 0-0 and our focus shifts," said Allison. "We have strong teams on the schedule and every match will be tough. We'll continue to work hard in the gym and prepare for the week ahead."
The Bison will face Lehigh at home on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 4 p.m., then take on Lafayette at home the following day.
