Bucknell University
3-2,0-0Patriot
Canisius
0-6,0-0MAAC
Volleyball Defeats Canisius, Falls to Coppin State at Penn Invitational
9/4/2021 6:35:00 PM | Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Bucknell volleyball wrapped up its stay at the Penn Invitational Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 win over Canisius and a 3-1 loss to Coppin State.
Sophomore Libby Nieporte led the team with 23 total kills over the two matches, and sophomore Sarah Ramirez posted her first-career double-double in the team's win over the Golden Griffins. Bucknell (3-3) also had a season-best 16 block assists in the victory.
Bucknell 3, Canisius 1 (25-19, 25-15, 15-25, 25-20)
Nieporte, Lisa Zoch and Jennie Burke were all in double figures in kills, combining for 38 to guide the Bison to a 3-1 win over the Griffins. Bucknell picked up wins in the first, second and fourth sets to collect their third victory of the season.
The Bison posted hitting percentages of .382 in the first set and .379 in the second for one of their better outings of the young season. Bucknell added seven service aces in the effort, including two each from rookies Jen Sivak, Jordan Hardy and Amanda Tesserot. Sivak also posted a team-best five block assists.
Ramirez accounted for 42 of the Bison's 49 assists and was one of three players with 12 digs for the Orange & Blue.
Bucknell used a 9-0 run in the second set to overtake an early Canisius lead and wound up taking the set by 10 points. The Bison fell behind again in the fourth at 15-12, but an 8-1 run put Bucknell up 20-16 and the team was able to finish off the match with a win.
Coppin State 3, Bucknell 1 (13-25, 26-24, 25-10, 25-21)
Sophomore Catherine Jamison led Bucknell with 11 kills on 23 attempts for a .304 hitting percentage in the second match of the day. She added a pair of blocks as well. Nieporte joined her fellow sophomore in double figures, while Hardy matched a season best with 19 digs.
The Bison looked strong early in the match with a big 25-13 victory in the opening set. Bucknell posted just one attack error and a .500 hitting percentage in the first, mixing in a 10-1 run at one point.
Bucknell held a 24-21 lead in set two before the Eagles finished on a 5-0 run to even the match at 1-1. An early 7-1 lead in the fourth set was also overcome by the Eagles as the Bison were unable to maintain a rhythm over the final two frames.
Other notable performances in the second match included five block assists from Valentina Feigl and three service aces from Tesserot.
Lopez was one of six players chosen to the Penn Invitational All-Tournament Team following the weekend's matches.
Bucknell competes in its final non-league matches next weekend at the Cornell Invitational. The weekend begins with a 5 p.m. match against Niagara on Friday, Sept. 10.
