ERIE, Pa. -- The East Stroudsburg women's volleyball team earned their first NCAA Tournament win in program history with their sweep over Charleston (WV) in the first round of the Atlantic Regional on Thursday. Set scores were 25-13, 25-19, and 25-21.
Notables
This marked the program's first win in the NCAA Tournament and 15th consecutive victory.
Anna Coulter led the team with 12 kills, posted four blocks, and recorded three service aces. Allison Birtcil tallied 11 kills while Kelly Crites followed with 10. Krya Bishop notched 31 assists and led the team with five blocks while Harry Berry added three blocks. Crites had four service aces while Romina Martinez had three.
How it happened
Set 1: The teams opened the set trading points until the Warriors went on a five point run to get ahead at 12-6. Three consecutive kills from Birtcil, Coulter, and Martinez pushed ESU's advantage to 16-8. A block from Coulter/Bishop put the Warriors in front by 11 points, 21-11. ESU used a kill from Birtcil and two Charleston attack errors to take the first set, 23-13.
Set 2: The Golden Eagles began the second with a 2-1 lead before the Warriors responded with seven points in a row, 8-2. Another Warrior run pushed the score to 15-6. Charleston answered with a 7-1 run of their own to pull within three points, and another three point run to pull within one at 20-19. The Warriors finished the set with two kills, a service ace, and a block.
Set 3: Kills from Birtcil and Coulter put the Warriors on the board first, 2-0. Charleston tied the score at 5-5 before Coulter recorded a kill and a service ace. The Golden Eagles used three consecutive points to pull within one at 9-8. A kill from Crites and three from Birtcil put the Warriors ahead by six points, 16-10. The Warriors got ahead by eight points at 22-14 from two kills and two service aces. The Golden Eagles responded with a 7-1 run to shorten the deficit to 23-21. ESU sealed the win with a block from Birtcil/Berry and a Bishop kill.
Up Next
No. 2 East Stroudsburg will face No. 3 Indiana (Pa.) in the Atlantic Region Semifinals on Friday, December 5 at 4:00 p.m. inside the Highmark Events Center.
