ASHLAND, Ohio – The East Stroudsburg University volleyball team wrapped up its first tournament of the season with a split, defeating D'Youville in straight sets (25-20, 31-29, 25-11) before falling to Ashland, 3-1 (25-20, 16-25, 26-24, 25-15), on Saturday at Kates Gymnasium.
The Warriors finished the weekend with a 2-2 record. D'Youville dropped to 0-4, while Ashland closed the tournament at 3-1.
Notables vs. D'Youville
- Anna Coulter registered 13 kills on 21 attempts, hitting .571. She also contributed three blocks and five digs.
- Kelly Crites recorded 15 kills on 34 attempts, hitting .294. She added two blocks and 17 digs in a double-double performance.
- Allison Birtcil tallied seven kills on 19 attempts, hitting .211, and contributed 12 digs and one service ace.
- Taylor Haan notched 43 assists, 13 digs, and a service ace for a three-set double-double.
- Hanna Garrison posted 10 kills on 29 attempts, hitting .241, along with five digs.
How It Happened vs. D'Youville
- In the first set, East Stroudsburg surged to a 7-2 lead behind two kills and an ace from Coulter. Crites and Garrison helped extend the lead to 17-11, but D'Youville, closed the gap to 20-19. After a timeout, East Stroudsburg regained control, with Crites and Birtcil securing the set at 25-20.
- The second set was tightly contested, featuring 12 ties and eight lead changes. ESU edged ahead 14-12 with kills from Birtcil, Garrison, and Crites. D'Youville fought back to 18-18, but late kills from Crites and Coulter helped ESU secure a 31-29 win in extra points.
- In the third set, the Warriors dominated from the start. Coulter's six kills built an 8-5 lead, and Crites added four more as East Stroudsburg cruised to a 25-11 win, completing the 3-0 sweep.
Notables vs. Ashland
- Coulter led the offense with 17 kills on 29 attempts, hitting .483, and tallied four block assists.
- Crites added 13 kills on 36 attempts, hitting .306, while contributing 11 digs and a block assist in a double-double performance.
- Haan directed the offense with 37 assists, 16 digs, a block assist, and a service ace for her second double-double of the day.
- Birtcil recorded eight kills, six digs, and a service ace.
- Leonor Chambel posted 20 digs in a career-best performance.
How It Happened vs. Ashland
- ESU fell behind early as Ashland surged to a 7-1 lead. The Warriors closed the gap to 13-11 with kills from Coulter and Birtcil, and an ace from Katalin Kovacs. However, Ashland took control with a 6-2 run, stretching their lead to 19-13. Despite a late push from the Warriors, Ashland finished the first set on a 6-4 run, winning 25-20.
- ESU bounced back in the second set, building an 11-5 lead early. The Eagles cut the deficit to three at 11-8 and 12-9, but a 4-0 run lifted ESU to a 16-9 advantage. The Warriors maintained their momentum with an 8-3 run to reach set point at 24-12. Ashland fought off four set points, but ESU secured the win with an AU attack error.
- With the score tied at 1-1, Ashland took a 12-3 lead with a 10-1 surge. ESU responded, scoring three of the next four points to cut the deficit to 16-8. The Warriors made a late run, tying the set at 22-22 and 24-24 after an impressive sprint, but Ashland closed with two kills to take a 2-1 lead.
- Ashland built another early advantage in the fourth set, taking a 7-2 lead. After ESU got within a point at 10-9, the Eagles took control with nine straight points, part of an 11-1 run, to grab a 21-10 lead. ESU cut the deficit to 22-14, but the Eagles secured the 25-15 victory to take the match.
Up Next
- ESU heads to the Aline Pascale Lubin Invitational, hosted by Queens College, next weekend. The Warriors will face Post (1 p.m.) and Queens (4 p.m.) on Friday, followed by matches against Saint Thomas Aquinas (noon) and Caldwell (2 p.m.) on Saturday.
