EAST STROUDSBURG – In a battle for sole possession of first place in the PSAC East, the East Stroudsburg University volleyball team's comeback came up short, as Shepherd hung on to defeat the Warriors in five sets on Friday night inside Koehler Fieldhouse. The set scores were 16-25, 19-25, 25-13, 25-16, 13-15.
ESU drops their second straight five-set match, falling to 12-10 on the season and 6-3 in the conference, while the Rams revenge their loss to the Warriors earlier in the season to improve to 15-6 overall and 7-2 in the PSAC East to take over the top spot.
Notables vs. Shepherd
- Junior Claire Choloux paced ESU with her third double-double of the season on a career-high 20 kills to go along with 14 digs and four assists
- Kaylee LoPresto tallied her fourth double-double in the last five matches as the redshirt junior recorded 14 kills and 16 digs as well as three assists and an ace
- Makaela McComas notched the first double-double wearing the red and black as the sophomore finished with 24 assists and 11 digs while adding a career-high five kills
- Playing in the final three frames, Taylor Haan recorded seven kills, assists and digs a piece while adding four blocks
- Freshman Anna Coulter continued to impress with a team-high five blocks while tallying eight kills
- Makayla Baca record her 20th match this season with double digit digs, matching the game-high with 26
- Freshman Sydney Lewellin posted double figures in assists for the 13th consecutive match with 22
- The Warriors out hit Shepherd, .216 (66 kills, 28 errors) to .173 (57 kills, 26 errors), with the help of a .500 (15 kills, two errors) and .346 (12 kills, three errors) hitting percentage in the third and fifth sets respectively
- Blocks were nearly even with ESU holding a slight edge at 12-11, but the Rams held a slim advantage in aces at 6-4
How it Happened vs. Shepherd
- Shepherd raced out to an early 9-2 lead in the opening set with the help of five kills, an ace and three errors by the Warriors. The Rams kept it rolling, stretching their advantage to 15-7 which forced ESU into a timeout. Out of the break, the teams would trade points the rest of the way with Shepherd earning the 25-16 set one victory for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- The Rams rolled their momentum over into the second set, racing out to an 8-4 edge before the Warriors used a 5-0 run to go ahead, 9-8. Shepherd responded by scoring eight of the next 13 points to go back up 16-13. Out of an ESU timeout, the Warriors battled their way back to pull within one at 19-18, before Shepherd proceeded to outscore ESU, 6-1, to secure a 25-19 set two win.
- ESU responded to open the third set, leading 9-3 before Shepherd clawed their way back to make the score 9-6. The Warriors answered with a 6-1 run to stretch their advantage to 15-7 which prompted a timeout from the Rams. ESU controlled the frame the rest of the way, outscoring Shepherd, 10-5, to keep the match alive with a 25-13 set three victory.
- With ESU leading 6-2 early in the fourth set, Shepherd battled back to get within one at 7-6, before the Warriors proceeded to go on a 5-1 spurt to pull back ahead by five points, 12-7. A timeout helped Shepherd settle in as the Rams tied it up at 13-13, but five straight points by ESU put the Warriors back up, 18-13. The Warriors would go on to outscore Shepherd, 8-3, over the remainder of the frame to even the match at 2-2 with a 25-16 set four win.
- The Warriors seemed to be in control to begin the final set, leading 5-2, before the Rams rattled off an 8-2 run to take a 10-7 advantage. A timeout by ESU helped them pull within one point at 11-10, before ultimately tying it up at 12-12. However, the Rams used a pair of kills and an ace to close out the Warriors, 15-13, for the five-set victory.
Up Next
ESU has a quick turnaround as the Warriors are right back inside Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Shippensburg
