KUTZTOWN – The East Stroudsburg University volleyball team opened up PSAC play on Friday night with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 19-25) victory over Kutztown at the Keystone Arena.
Senior Ali Finch continued to impressive as she recorded her second triple-double of the season with 12 kills, 43 assists and 13 digs. The Cadillac, Mich. native also added five block assists and an ace.
The Warriors move to 4-7 overall and begin conference play 1-0 for the third consecutive season while the Golden Bears drop to 2-7 and 0-1 in the PSAC.
ESU jumped out to a 1-0 after a back-and-forth first set and would go on to take a 2-0 advantage in the match before the Golden bears rallied to win the third set. The Warriors got back on track in the fourth set to earn their second win over Kutztown this season.
Notables
- Finch became the fourth player in program history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season (Annabelle Charlton, Tina Predojevic, Heidi Johnston)
- Sophomore Claire Choloux also paced the Warriors offensively with a team-high 16 kills, 15 digs and an ace
- Senior Jasmine Mooney added 13 kills, 15 digs and one block assist
- Senior Emily Meredith recorded a team-high 24 digs
- The Warriors recorded a .222 hitting percentage for the match which include a .381 mark in the second set
How it Happened
- The Warriors and Golden Bears would trade points for most of the first set as the teams were deadlocked at 15-15. Kutztown would then score the next two points to grab the lead which forced ESU into a timeout. Out the break, the Warriors responded by tying the score at 20-20, but Kutztown would regain an edge at 23-22, which prompted ESU to call their second timeout of the set. The Warriors railed out the stoppage with a 3-0 run on kills from Choloux, LoPresto and Kaitlin Bruchhauser to win the set, 25-23.
- After trailing 8-5 to open the first set, the Warriors responded with an impressive 7-1 run to grab a 12-9 advantage which made Kutztown call a timeout. ESU kept the pressure on the Golden Bears out of the break as used they used a 7-2 sprint to extend their lead to 19-11. Kutztown would battle back to make the score 23-17, but the Warriors closed out the set 25-17, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Both teams would trade points, until the Warriors built a lead at 9-4. ESU would maintain their five-point edge for a handful of points until Kutztown rallied to bring the score within one at 16-15. The Golden Bears would then use a quick 3-0 run to take a 18-17 which caused ESU to take a timeout. Out of the break, the Golden Bears continued their momentum to win the third set, 25-19, which cut the Warriors lead to 2-1 in the match.
- ESU came out aggressive in the fourth set by taking a 6-2 lead with the help of four kills before Kutztown was forced to take a timeout. The Warriors would maintain their advantage throughout the remainder of the final set as they eventually built a 18-11 lead before the Golden Bears called their second timeout. ESU closed out the set, 25-19 to win the match 3-1.
Up Next
The Warriors return to Koehler Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 1 when they welcome Shepherd for a Sole4Souls match. First serve is set for 7 p.m. against the Rams.
