Bucknell University
15-10,8-8Patriot
Navy
14-11,11-5Patriot
Volleyball Ends Regular Season with Comeback Win Over Navy, 3-2
11/13/2022 7:44:00 PM | Volleyball
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – For a third time this season, the Bucknell volleyball team battled back from a 2-0 deficit in sets to force a fifth and came out victorious over Navy for the first time since 2015, snapping a 12-match losing streak in the series. The Bison improved to 15-10 (8-8 PL), securing their highest win total since the 2006 season. Navy moved to 14-11 (11-5 PL).
Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week Tijana Kostic led the team in kills for a third straight match, supplying a season-high 19 on 46 total attempts with just five errors for a .305 hitting percentage. She also posted six block assists, one fewer than teammate Valentina Feigl, as Bucknell registered 12 total blocks in the match.
S5 | Bucknell 5, Navy 2
— Bucknell Volleyball (@Bucknell_VB) November 13, 2022
Nobody has been hotter than Kostic over the final few matches of this regular season. Make it 18 kills, a .385 hitting% and 5 block assists on the match. @ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV
Watch: https://t.co/8dDsktCVzb pic.twitter.com/IKrOHGyWWn
Bucknell held a 13-4 advantage in service aces, setting a new season high in the category. Caleigh O'Connell and Jordan Hardy each provided three. Hardy also led the team with 22 digs, bringing her season total to 566.
Along with her seven block assists, Feigl posted nine kills on 22 total attempts and no errors for a .409 hitting percentage. Sandra Korusiewicz also added nine kills and four block assists.
While Bucknell captured the win in comeback fashion, it was the Midshipmen erasing a number of deficits in the second and fifth sets that took the match down to the wire. Bucknell had match point in the fifth at 14-10 before the Mids grabbed four straight points off three Bison attack errors and an Ashley Warren kill to even it up at 14-14. Two final kills back-to-back by Feigl and Korusiewicz put an end to the run and the match.
Navy's Warren led all players with 21 kills.
Bucknell also held leads of 17-12 and 23-19 in the second set, but the Mids ended the frame on a 6-0 run to win it 25-23 and put the Bison in a 2-0 hole in sets.
The match featured 11 lead changes in total, including four in the fourth set. Navy led by as many as three in the fourth, and the two teams sat tied at 14-14 before a 5-1 Bison run gave them the lead for good. Bucknell hit a match-high .286 in the fourth set, and they were above .250 in three of the five.
Navy was at its best in the opening frame, responding to a 3-0 start by the Bison by going on a 5-1 run and never giving the lead back. The Bison were within two of tying at 22-20, but the Mids picked up three of the final four points while hitting .281. Kostic tallied five of her 19 kills in the first set.
Bucknell is now 4-4 in five-set matches this season, six of which came during Patriot League play and two of which have been against Navy.
Bucknell enters the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will play at fourth-seeded Loyola (10-13, 8-8 PL) on Tuesday, Nov. 15 for its first postseason action since 2010. Bucknell split with the Greyhounds during the regular season, and both teams earned their respective wins 3-1. The Greyhounds also have a win over Army this season, giving them the tiebreaker with a victory over a higher seed than Bucknell.
Tuesday's match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
