Saturday, October 11
Annapolis, Md.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
7-10,4-4Patriot
2
at
3
Navy
7-10,3-5Patriot
1
2
3
4
5
F
Bucknell
23
25
25
11
12
2
Navy
25
16
23
25
15
3
Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder
Volleyball Edged in Five Sets by Midshipmen
10/11/2025 8:28:00 PM | Volleyball
ANNAPOLIS, Md.- Bucknell (7-10, 4-4 Patriot League) led two sets to one before Navy (7-10, 3-5 Patriot League) rallied for the five set victory on Saturday night. The Midshipmen won the first set, 25-23, before Bucknell won the next two 25-16 and 25-23. Navy forced a fifth set by winning the fourth 25-11. The Mids rode its momentum to a 15-12 win in the fifth and final set.Â
Bucknell was unable to capitalize on Bella Rodriguez's career night of 20 kills and 18 digs. Tijana Kostic supplied 15 kills and Sidney Shaffer posted 13 giving the Bison three players with double-digit kills.Â
Navy's Ava Toppin shined offensively and defensively for the Mids. She collected 15 kills on a sparkling .583 hitting percentage and posted 11 blocks. Navy's defense was a brick wall all game with 19 blocks to Bucknell's six.Â
The Midshipmen never trailed in the opening set. Bucknell tied the contest at 3-3 but fell behind before rallying for ties at 15-15 and 17-17. Navy uncorked a 4-0 run and held on for the 25-23 set victory.
Bucknell never trailed or were tied in the second set. The Bison raced to a 5-1 lead and never looked back. Navy inched within 13-11 but the Orange & Blue kept stacking points to prevent any rally. The set ended on a 5-0 Bucknell run.
The third set was a balanced affair with the teams tying nine times and trading the lead like Pokemon cards. With the score at 16-16, Bucknell launched a 7-2 decisive run. The Mids refused to yield easily and used a 5-1 run to make things interesting. Rodriguez's kill gave Bucknell the set win.
Navy owned the four set from the opening serve. The Mids went up 5-1 and were never threatened by the Bison. A 15-5 Navy run during the heart of the set guaranteed a fifth stanza would be needed to determine the winner.Â
Both teams stuck to each other like glue and the score sat 8-7 Navy when the media timeout hit. Rodriguez gave Bucknell a 10-9 lead but Navy fired back with a 5-1 run. Rodriguez's 20th kill stalled defeat for a short time but Toppin's 15th kill won the set and match for Navy in their home waters.
Bucknell and Navy face off next Saturday in Davis Gym to open the second half of the conference schedule.Â
Bucknell was unable to capitalize on Bella Rodriguez's career night of 20 kills and 18 digs. Tijana Kostic supplied 15 kills and Sidney Shaffer posted 13 giving the Bison three players with double-digit kills.Â
Navy's Ava Toppin shined offensively and defensively for the Mids. She collected 15 kills on a sparkling .583 hitting percentage and posted 11 blocks. Navy's defense was a brick wall all game with 19 blocks to Bucknell's six.Â
The Midshipmen never trailed in the opening set. Bucknell tied the contest at 3-3 but fell behind before rallying for ties at 15-15 and 17-17. Navy uncorked a 4-0 run and held on for the 25-23 set victory.
Bucknell never trailed or were tied in the second set. The Bison raced to a 5-1 lead and never looked back. Navy inched within 13-11 but the Orange & Blue kept stacking points to prevent any rally. The set ended on a 5-0 Bucknell run.
The third set was a balanced affair with the teams tying nine times and trading the lead like Pokemon cards. With the score at 16-16, Bucknell launched a 7-2 decisive run. The Mids refused to yield easily and used a 5-1 run to make things interesting. Rodriguez's kill gave Bucknell the set win.
Navy owned the four set from the opening serve. The Mids went up 5-1 and were never threatened by the Bison. A 15-5 Navy run during the heart of the set guaranteed a fifth stanza would be needed to determine the winner.Â
Both teams stuck to each other like glue and the score sat 8-7 Navy when the media timeout hit. Rodriguez gave Bucknell a 10-9 lead but Navy fired back with a 5-1 run. Rodriguez's 20th kill stalled defeat for a short time but Toppin's 15th kill won the set and match for Navy in their home waters.
Bucknell and Navy face off next Saturday in Davis Gym to open the second half of the conference schedule.Â
Team Stats
Buck
Navy
Kills
61
62
Errors
26
18
Attempts
167
153
Hitting %
.210
.288
Points
73.0
90.0
Assists
57
60
Aces
6
9
Blocks
6
19
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
15
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
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