KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Sophomore libero Emily Meredith recorded her 1000th career dig and senior outside hitter Sarah Smith notched her second 20+ kill and 20+ dig performance of the season as the East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team defeated Kutztown 3-2 on Tuesday night.
 
ESU (24-6, 14-3 PSAC Central) had to battle back from a 2-1 deficit in the match against the Golden Bears after Kutztown won the third set 25-23. The Warriors responded with a dominant fourth-set victory, 25-10.
 
Meredith finished with a team-high 21 digs in the contest as she eclipsed the 1000-dig mark and now has 1,014 for her career. She has 526 digs this season after recording 488 last season as a freshman for the Warriors. Smith became just the second Warrior since 2002 to tally more than 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match multiple times after she recorded 22 kills and 20 digs against the Golden Bears.
 
Senior Sam Dunphy finished with 18 kills and 14 digs for ESU, while freshman setter Rachel Cain tallied 52 assists, 16 digs, and five service aces for the Warriors.
 
Kutztown came out of the gate swinging against the Warriors as the Golden Bears hit .286 as a team in the set and recorded 18 kills. The Golden Bears would see the Warriors knot the score three different times in the set but held the lead otherwise en route to a 25-22 victory.
 
The Warriors would get things working offensively in the second set as ESU hit .275 and tallied 16 kills compared to nine for Kutztown. The lead would change hands three times in the set but a 3-0 run after the Golden Bears trimmed the deficit to 22-17 secured the 25-17 victory.
 
The third set would be the most competitive one of the night as it featured six lead changes and 11 tie scores between the Warriors and Golden Bears. ESU took a 17-14 lead in the set following a 5-0 run that was capped by a kill from Cain off an assist from Meredith. Kutztown rallied to knot the score 19-19 and later 21-21 before taking the lead.
 
ESU used a 2-0 rally to knot the score 23-23 following a kill from Smith and attack error by Kutztown. The Golden Bears would tally the next two points to secure the 25-23 victory in the set and take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Warriors dominated the fourth set as they looked to force a fifth set against the Golden Bears. A 5-0 run, that would be highlighted by a pair of blocks from sophomore Kenzie Guimont and sophomore Jasmine Mooney, allowed ESU to take a 9-4 lead against Kutztown. The Golden Bears cut the deficit to 10-7 in the set before the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to gain a 22-7 advantage.
 
Cain notched four of her five aces on the night during the run while the Warriors delivered three blocks. Redshirt junior middle blocker Trea-sure Ketter tallied three blocks during the run en route to finishing with six in the match for the Warriors. A kill from Guimont ended the set as ESU claimed a 25-10 victory to force a fifth set.
 
The Warriors answered a 2-0 run by the Golden Bears with a 4-0 rally to gain momentum early in the set. A block by Guimont and Dunphy capped a 3-0 rally for ESU, who gained an 8-4 advantage. Kutztown narrowed the deficit to 11-9 before ESU clinched the set and the match with a 4-0 run. Consecutive kills from Smith secured the 15-9 victory for ESU.
 
ESU heads to Lock Haven on Friday and Bloomsburg on Saturday to close the 2019 regular-season as the Warriors prepare for their second-straight PSAC Tournament appearance. The 2019 PSAC Volleyball Championship begins on Nov. 19 with quarterfinal matches.