SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Behind the strength of 14 total blocks as a team and eight service aces, the East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team recorded its 10th straight victory on Friday night as the Warriors defeated Shepherd, 3-1.
 
ESU (22-4, 12-1 PSAC Central) faced the newest member of the PSAC for the first time since 2011 and tallied its first victory against the Rams since 2009. This was the ninth all-time meeting between ESU and Shepherd after the two first played in 1998. ESU's current 10 match winning streak is the first double-digit streak in a single season since 1990.
 
The Warriors were paced by 14 kills and 18 digs from senior Sarah Smith in the match, while senior Sam Dunphy added nine kills to go along with 10 digs and seven total blocks. Sophomore Caylinn Davis tallied seven kills for ESU, while redshirt junior Trea-sure Ketter notched eight total blocks. Freshman Rachel Cain tallied 33 assists for the Warriors to go along with 14 digs and three service aces.
 
Freshman Jessica Irwin capped a 3-0 run for ESU in the opening set with an ace to make it 8-5 in favor of the Warriors. Leading 9-8, the Warriors would win seven of the next 10 points to increase their advantage to 16-11 and force Shepherd to call a timeout.
 
Trailing 23-17 in the set, Shepherd used a 6-0 rally to trim the deficit to 23-22. A kill by Dunphy ended the run as Shepherd opted to use its second timeout of the set. ESU would tally the decisive point out of the break to secure the 25-22 victory off a block from Davis and senior Jasmine Williams.
 
ESU battled back from an early deficit in the second set to knot the score 5-5 following a 3-0 rally. Later in the set, it would be Williams that helped to knot the score at 14-14 with a kill and solo block for ESU. The Rams countered with a 4-0 run to take an 18-14 advantage and eventually a 20-15 lead before the Warriors used their second timeout of the set.
 
The Warriors used consecutive blocks from Dunphy and Ketter to even the score 22-22 before a kill from Davis gave ESU a 23-22 advantage. The third block from ESU through the final seven points secured the 25-23 victory for the Warriors, who took a 2-0 lead in the match against the Rams.
 
In the third set, Shepherd rallied to keep the match alive and avoided a sweep at the hands of the Warriors by winning eight of the final nine points to secure a 25-22 victory. ESU held a 21-17 advantage in the set before the Rams went on a 5-0 run to turn the deficit into a 22-21 lead. Shepherd closed the set with a 3-0 run that would be capped by a kill from Peyton Lindblad.
 
Both sides would trade 3-0 rallies in the third set as ESU opened a 14-10 advantage before Shepherd closed the gap to 14-13. A service ace from sophomore Emily Meredith capped a 3-0 run that increased ESU's lead to 17-13. The Warriors extended their lead to 24-18 off a block from Ketter and Dunphy before a 3-0 run by the Rams trimmed the gap to three. A kill by Smith secured the 25-21 victory in the set and a 3-1 victory in the match for ESU.
 
The Warriors head to Shippensburg on Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Raiders. ESU returns to Koehler Fieldhouse to host Millersville on Nov. 8 for High School Night before honoring its senior class on Saturday afternoon against West Chester.