Bucknell University
3-1,0-0Patriot
William & Mary
1-3,0-0CAA
Volleyball Opens Weekend with Five-Set Victory Over Host William & Mary
9/6/2024 10:14:00 PM | Volleyball
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Tijana Kostic's 16th kill of the evening capped a critical 3-0 run that gave the Bucknell volleyball team a 19-17 win in the fifth set of Friday evening's match at William & Mary. Bucknell improved to 3-1 on the young season with its invitational-opening win over the hosting Tribe and came away victorious in its first five-set match of the season.
The Bison roster saw spectacular performances all around, highlighted by Sidney Shaffer's career-high 18 kills and seven blocks. Kostic's 16 kills were the most she's registered since her rookie campaign, and Bri Frazilus joined her teammates in double figures with 13 kills. Caleigh O'Connell fell one assist shy of her career-best mark of 50, and Jordan Hardy's 33 digs Friday evening put her six away from tying the school's all-time career record held by Brandi Trapasso '03.
The back-and-forth match saw Bucknell earn a come-from-behind win in set one (25-23), a dominating Bison performance in set two (25-16), and a gutsy, nail-biting effort in the fifth (19-17). William & Mary earned a 25-22 win in the second set and forced the fifth with a 25-15 win in the fourth.
Aside from the extra action in the fifth, the opening frame was the closest contested by the two squads. After Bucknell jumped out to an early 12-7 lead, William & Mary came back to tie things up at 16-16. Both teams traded points and were tied seven times in the set. Trailing 23-21, the Bison took four unanswered points to claim the initial win of the match.
Bucknell put together another late run in the second to cut into a 24-19 William & Mary lead, but the Trible held on to win 25-22 and even the match at 1-1.
The Bison dominated the third, jumping out to a 7-2 lead and never giving up the advantage. They went on to take the set 25-16 and posted a hitting percentage of .359. Six of Kostic's kills came in the third set. William & Mary responded, winning the fourth 25-15 to force the final frame.
Bucknell led most of the fifth, but the Tribe tied things up at 14-14, 15-15, and 16-16. The Bison win was in jeopardy when William & Mary went up 17-16, but a pair of Trible attack errors and Kostic's final kill gave Bucknell its third consecutive victory and its first ever against the CAA foe.
Bucknell continues play at the Tribe Invitational Saturday morning with a 10:30 a.m. match against George Mason. The Bison then take on Quinnipiac later in the day at 3:30 p.m.
