COLCHESTER, VT. – The East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team opened the 2025 season by splitting matches against Bentley and Saint Michael's at the Windjammer Classic on Friday at the Ross Spors Center.
The Warriors (1-1) fell in three sets to the Falcons (24-26, 19-25, 21-25) to begin the day before responding with a four-set victory over the host Purple Knights (24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 25-18).
Notables vs. Bentley
- Senior Allison Birtcil paced the Warriors with a team-high 12 kills, two digs and three blocks.
- Two-time PSAC East Athlete of the Year Anna Coulter finished with nine kills, two digs and five blocks.
- Making her ESU debut, junior transfer Romina Martinez recorded six kills, 12 digs, two assists, two aces and a block.
- Junior Katalin Kovacs recorded a double-double with 28 assists and 11 digs, while sophomore Taylor Wise (11 digs) and freshman Marta Leeland (12 digs, two aces) each recorded double figure digs in their ESU debuts.
How it Happened vs. Bentley
- Bentley scored the first four points of the opening set and built a 12-6 before the Warriors answered with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 12-10. Out of a time out, ESU tied it at 16-16 and ultimately took its first lead of the set at 19-18. With the score tied at 21-21, Bentley used a 4-1 spurt to jump ahead 24-22, but two straight attack errors evened it at 24-24. The Falcons responded with a kill and service ace to take the set 26-24 for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- ESU raced out to a 4-1 lead to begin the second set, but the Falcons responded with a 10-1 run to take an 11-6 advantage. Bentley maintained its momentum out of a timeout, outscoring the Warriors 9-5 over the next several points to increase the lead to 20-11. The Falcons went on to win the set 25-19 for a 2-0 edge in the match.
- With the score tied at 2-2, the Falcons outpaced ESU 15-9 over the next 24 points to grab a 17-11 lead in the final set. Following a timeout, the Warriors answered with a 5-1 spurt to pull within two at 18-16. ESU continued with a 5-3 run to make it 21-20, but Bentley scored four of the final five points to win the set 25-21 and the match.
Notables vs. Saint Michael's
- Coulter led a trio of Warriors with double-figure kills, as the three-time All-PSAC selection posted a double-double with 16 kills and 11 blocks (nine assist, two solo) to go with three aces and two digs.
- Birtcil added 10 kills, six digs and four blocks, while Martinez contributed 10 kills, eight digs, two blocks and two aces.
- Kovacs dished out a match-high 43 assist along with five digs, two kills, two aces and one block.
- As a team, ESU had 19 aces led, by freshmen Allison Flynn (5) and Marta Leeland (4), who each added nine digs
How it Happened vs. Saint Michael's
- Trailing 3-1 to open the match, ESU ripped off a 6-0 run to grab a 7-3 lead. The Purple Knights answered with 11 of the next 15 points to jump ahead 14-12, but three straight points from the Warriors put them back in front 15-14. With ESU leading by as many as three at 19-16 and again at 24-23 with a chance to close out the set, Saint Michael's scored the final three points to win 26-24.
- The Warriors responded to begin the second set, scoring the first five points before extending their lead to 10-2. ESU and Saint Michael's traded point the rest of the way, with the Purple Knights pulling as close as 20-16, before the Warriors closed out at 25-18 win to even the match at 1-1.
- With the third set deadlocked at 10-10, the Warriors used a 13-5 run to pull ahead 23-15 before Saint Michael's answered with a 5-1 spurt to make it 24-20. Coulter then closed the set for ESU with a kill to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead in the match.
- After the teams traded points to open the final set, ESU used a 5-0 run to pull ahead 15-11 midway through. Following a timeout, the Warriors stretched the lead to 21-15 with a 6-4 spurt, forcing St. Michael's into another stoppage. ESU closed out the set 25-18 to clinch a 3-1 match victory.
Up Next
The Warriors return to the Ross Sports Center tomorrow at noon for a match against Franklin Pierce, before closing out the weekend against #12 Nebraska Kearney at 4:30 p.m.
