EAST STROUDSBURG – A battle between two undefeated conference foes lived up to the hype as the East Stroudsburg University volleyball team edged Shippensburg in five sets, 25-16, 24-26, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12, in a PSAC East match on Friday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.
Winning their eighth consecutive match, the Warriors improved to 11-5 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC East while the Raiders saw their six-match win streak come to an end, slipping to 12-6 on the season and 3-1 in the conference.
With the victory, ESU takes over sole possession of first place in the PSAC East with 10 conference contests remaining.
Notables vs. Shippensburg
- Reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week Taylor Haan notched her third straight double-double as the junior finished with 38 assists and 13 digs to go with seven kills, two blocks and a pair of aces
- Sophomore Anna Coulter recorded a match-high 18 kills on an impressive .448 hitting percentage while adding four digs, three block assists, two aces and two assists
- Kaylee LoPresto posted double-digit kills with 12 to go along with eight digs, two blocks, and an assist
- Graduate student Claire Choloux and senior Sydney Stone combined for nine kills, 10 digs and four blocks
- Makayla Baca (two assists, two aces) posted a game-high 29 digs as the senior continued to close in on 1,000 for her career as she sits at 974. Junior Makaela McComas added 17 digs, two aces and two assists.
- Shippensburg was paced by a pair of double doubles from Gracen Nutt (14 kills, 17 digs) and Maddie Clabaugh (14 kills, 10 digs) while Isabelle Bombas added 10 kills. Shay Kolivoski recorded 19 digs and a match-high five aces.
- The Warriors held advantages in hitting percentage (.188-.108) and blocks (8-7) while the Raiders edged ESU in aces, 15-8
- With the victory, ESU has now defeated the Raiders in five of the last seven meetings and improved their all-time record in the series to 46-51
How it Happened vs. Shippensburg
- With the score tied at 1-1 to begin the match, the Warriors ripped off an 8-2 run to pull ahead 9-3. ESU kept their foot on the gas by scoring seven of the next eight points to stretch the lead to 16-4. It was back and forth over the next 13 points with the Warriors still ahead 23-11, until the Raiders went on a 5-0 spurt to trim their deficit to 23-16. ESU scored the final two points of the set to win 25-16 for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- After the Warriors tallied the first point of the second set, Shippensburg scored seven of the next nine to go up 7-3. ESU settled in by going on a 10-3 run to regain the lead at 13-10. The Warriors maintained a five-point (20-15) advantage over Shippensburg following the next 12 points, but the Raiders responded with a three straight kills to get within two at 20-18. The teams continued to go back and forth but after ESU got to set point, 24-21, the Raiders scored the final five to even the match at 1-1.
- With the teams deadlocked at 4-4, Shippensburg produced six of the next nine points to grab a 10-7 lead. The Warriors answered back with a 4-1 spurt to tie the score at 11-11, until the Raiders went on a 5-0 run with the help of three kills and two aces regain a 16-11 edge. ESU stormed back with a 7-1 stretch to secure an 18-17 lead, but Shippensburg scored three of the next four points to go up 20-19. It was all ESU the rest of the way as the Warriors used a 6-2 run to wrap up the set, 25-22, for a 2-1 lead.
- ESU found themselves ahead 4-3 early in the fourth set until the Raiders answered with an 8-1 run to secure a 12-5 advantage. The Warriors wouldn't go down without swinging as ESU responded with a 9-2 stretch, which included six kills, to knot the score at 14 all. Shippensburg responded quickly with a 6-0 spurt to regain a 20-14 lead, and the Warriors got within as close as four points (22-18), until the Raiders concluded the set 25-19 to even the match at 2-2.
- The Warriors jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in the final set, but Shippensburg wouldn't go away as the Raiders used a 7-1 run to go ahead 9-6. ESU took advantage of three straight attack errors to tie it up (9-9) and after Shippensburg took a 11-9 advantage, the Warriors scored six of the next seven points to secure the 3-2 victory (15-12).
Up Next
It's a quick turnaround for ESU as the Warriors welcome Shepherd to Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday as part of Homecoming Weekend. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
