Bucknell University
1-0
St. Francis Brooklyn
0-1
Bucknell Volleyball Opens 2021 Season with 3-2 Victory over St. Francis Brooklyn
8/27/2021 10:10:00 PM | Volleyball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Junior outside hitter Lisa Zoch posted a career-high 21 kills with a .415 hitting percentage to guide the Bucknell volleyball program to a season-opening victory over St. Francis Brooklyn at the Delaware State Invitational Friday night. Bucknell collected wins in the second, third and fifth sets to top the Terriers.
Zoch, who earned her fifth-career double-double (21 kills, 13 digs), was among three Bison with double-digit kills and among three with double-digit digs. Sophomores Catherine Jamison and Libby Nieporte also registered career highs in kills with 16 and 12, respectively.
Rookie liberos Jordan Hardy and Amanda Tesserot shined in their collegiate debuts, combining for 32 digs. Additionally, sophomore setter Sarah Ramirez contributed a whopping 57 of the team's 61 assists.
As a unit, the Bison recorded a .274 hitting percentage to St. Francis Brooklyn's .228. After the Terriers came from behind to force a fifth set, Bucknell won five of the final six points in the final frame to earn the victory.
Shaking off preseason cobwebs, the Bison surrendered the first set of the match after trailing by as many as nine. The two teams were separated by no more than a point midway through the second until the Bison outscored their opponents 16-5 down the stretch to win 25-14 and even the match at 1-1. The Bison posted a match-high .407 hitting percentage in the second frame.
A 2-0 deficit to begin set three was quickly overcome by Bucknell, and the team wouldn't trail again before claiming a 25-19 decision and carrying a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
It looked as though the Bison would cruise to a third straight win in set four, leading 19-16, but St. Francis Brooklyn responded with a 9-2 run to forced a fifth and final frame.
Bucknell jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the fifth set, but the Terriers willed their way back into a 10-10 tie. Kills by Nieporte, Jamison and Allie Lopez carried Bucknell the rest of the way as they outscored St. Francis Brooklyn 5-2 to earn the team's first win of the 2021 season.
Sophomore Valentina Feigl finished with two of Bucknell's four block assists, and Lopez posted the Bison's lone block solo.
Bucknell returns to action on Saturday with two more matches to finish out the tournament. The Bison will take on host Delaware State at 2 p.m., and then will challenge Saint Peter's at 4:30 p.m.
