SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – The East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team (13-4, 3-2) secured a crucial road victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Shepherd (12-5, 2-2) in a thrilling five-set match at the Butcher Athletic Center. ESU clinched the victory with set scores of 24-26, 25-17, 15-25, 23-21, and 25-11.
 
The Warriors showcased powerful defense, combining for 15.0 total team blocks and holding the Rams to a low .073 hitting percentage over the marathon match. ESU registered a team hitting percentage of .187.
 
Top Performers:
Kelly Crites led the Warriors in both scoring and assists, tallying a team-leading 20.0 total points. Crites finished the match with 15 kills, 18 assists, and 15 digs.
 
Anna Coulter was highly effective offensively and defensively, contributing 19.0 total points. Coulter recorded 10 kills and 8 assists, while anchoring the blocking effort with 3 solo blocks and 9 block assists.
 
Libero Marta Leeland led the back court with a match-high 25 digs. Leeland also contributed 3 service aces.
 
Romina Martinez provided key offense and serving, securing 6 kills and recording 4 service aces.
 
Kyra Bishop tallied 13 assists.
 
How it Happened
The match was a back-and-forth battle that required a decisive fifth set.
 
Set 1 (24-26): Shepherd took the tightly contested opening frame that consisted of 7 tie scores.
 
Set 2 (25-17): The Warriors responded strongly in the second set, controlling the tempo to tie the match at 1-1. ESU registered a .257 hitting percentage in this frame. The Warriors staved off 7 tie scores and 3 lead changes to clinch the set.
 
Set 3 (15-25): Shepherd regained the lead, taking the third set by a significant margin.
Set 4 (23-21): The Warriors battled to a narrow victory in the fourth set, forcing the decisive fifth frame. ESU recorded 14 kills in the set and maintained a 52% sideout percentage.
 
Set 5 (25-11): ESU dominated the tiebreaker set, closing out the match with high efficiency. The Warriors posted their best attack performance of the night, hitting .348, and secured the final point to clinch the five-set victory.
 
Up Next
The Warriors will travel to Lock Haven University on Friday, October 17 for a 6:00 pm match.