Bucknell University
6-13,2-8Patriot
Holy Cross
2-19,1-9Patriot
Bucknell Volleyball Defeats Holy Cross in Five-Setter at Home
10/22/2021 11:16:00 PM | Volleyball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell volleyball team captured the final three sets to battle back from a 2-0 deficit and defeat Holy Cross Friday evening at Davis Gym. It was the Bison's second victory over the Crusaders this season, and Bucknell improved to 6-13 (2-8 PL) with the win.
Catherine Jamison led the Bison with 11 kills and a .231 hitting percentage, and Libby Nieporte posted double-digit kills as well with 10. The Bison also had four players register double-digit digs, including a career-high 31 for first-year libero Jordan Hardy. Junior Sarina Singer was also in double figures with 15 digs and added 10 assists for a double-double. Holy Cross (2-19, 1-9 PL) had two players with double-digit kills and struggled to a 0.61 hitting percentage for the match.
"It was nice to get our first win at home this year. Over the first two sets, Holy Cross was playing amazing defense and digging a lot of balls and frustrating us. The last three sets we were able to settle in a bit," said head coach Tyler Hagstrom. "In those final three sets I felt like we were being aggressive, but also being smart in the situations that called for it."
After leading 6-2 early in the first set, Bucknell gave up a 6-0 run to the Crusaders and wouldn't regain the lead again until going up 19-17. The Bison hit the 20-point mark first, but Holy Cross ended the opening set on a 5-1 run to win 25-23. The Bison never led in set two, despite putting together a 5-0 run that brought them within one of tying at 11-10. Bucknell committed 10 attack errors in the second and fell 25-20 while the Crusaders took a 2-0 lead in the match.
It was Holy Cross that was unable to grab a lead in set three after the Bison claimed each of the first four points. Bucknell led by as many as five in the frame and kept the match alive with a 25-22 win.
The fourth set also saw no lead changes after Bucknell jumped out on top. The Bison scored six unanswered at one point to go up 22-14, and the 25-16 final deficit was the largest by either team in the match. Bucknell posted five of its 10 blocks during the fourth set.
The momentum was completely on the side of the Bison by the fifth set, and they hit a match-high .455 over the final frame. The Crusaders were able to notch back-to-back points just once in the fifth as the Bison cruised to a 15-8 win and a match victory. The win snapped a seven-match losing streak for the Bison.
Views from a Friday night victory in Davis Gym! 👏🏻#rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/44iGvRrHwC
— Bucknell Volleyball (@Bucknell_VB) October 23, 2021
Other notable performances included nine kills and five block assists for rookie Jen Sivak, and a career-best 24 digs from rookie Amanda Tesserot. Sophomore Sarah Ramirez finished with 37 assists, two services aces and eight digs.
Bucknell is back in Davis Gym on Saturday to host Army West Point. Saturday's match is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
