FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a split at the Fairmont State Volleyball Classic Friday evening. The Warriors fell in their opening match, 3-2, with set scores of 17-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, and 8-15. ESU then bounced back with a four-set win over Lees-McRae in the nightcap with set scores of 27-25, 24-26, 25-20, and 25-18.
Bowie State
Jadyn Orava led the Warriors with an impressive 20 kills, while
Kailynn Dupre contributed 12. Both
Rylee Ruggiero and
Kelly Crites added 11 kills.
Harry Berry finished with four kills, three solo blocks, and five assisted blocks.
Lainey Lichota and
Allison Flynn each recorded four service aces.
Set 1: ESU and Bowie State traded points early before back-to-back service aces from Lichota gave the Warriors a 7-6 advantage. After ESU extended its lead to 11-8, the Bulldogs answered with a six-point run. Kills from Orava and Dupre, along with an ace from Orava, brought the Warriors within one at 16-15. Bowie State closed the set with a 7-1 run to take the opener, 25-17.
Set 2: Bowie State jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but the Warriors responded with a 6-1 run to even the score at 9-9. The teams continued to exchange points before ESU used a 4-0 stretch to take a 20-19 lead. Orava's seventh kill of the match, followed by a block from Ruggiero and Dupre, put the Warriors ahead 23-21. The Bulldogs answered with four straight points to claim the set, 25-23.
Set 3: Ruggiero and Berry opened the third set with a block, followed by a kill from Crites. After Bowie State tied the set at 2-2, ESU put together a 5-0 run to take a 7-2 advantage. Flynn followed with consecutive service aces, while Dupre and Ruggiero each added a kill. Consecutive kills from Orava and Dupre put the Warriors ahead by five, 10-5. Orava then delivered her 10
th kill of the match to make it 11-6 before three consecutive kills by Dupre extended their lead to six, 19-13. A huge block by Dupre and Ruggiero closed out the set, 25-20, as ESU forced a fourth set.
Set 4: Early kills from Orava and Crites, combined with consecutive aces from Lichota, helped ESU take an 8-4 lead. Bowie State later tied the score at 17 each and took a three-point lead at 21-18. ESU then used a 6-0 run to take the fourth set and force a fifth, 25-23.
Set 5: Bowie State took an early 3-1 lead, but ESU answered with three straight points to move ahead 4-3. The Bulldogs then used a 7-0 run to build an 11-5 advantage. Two kills from Dupre and a Bowie State attacking error cut the deficit to 14-8, but the Bulldogs closed out the deciding set with a kill to win 15-8.
Lees-McRae
KiLee Kuhlman led the Warriors with 22 kills and four service aces, while Berry added 11 kills while hitting an impressive .474.
Set 1: The teams began the set trading points while Berry recorded her fourth kill of the set to make it 9-7. The Bobcats later built a 16-12 advantage, but the Warriors battled back. An ace from Flynn gave ESU a 22-21 lead, while kills from
Leah Novatne and Kuhlman put the Warriors in set-point position.
Georgia Stevens then delivered a service ace to seal the opening set, 27-25.
Set 2: The Warriors started the second set on a 5-0 run and maintained the lead until Lees-McRae pulled ahead at 22-21. ESU regained the lead at 24-23, but the Bobcats scored the final three points to take the set, 26-24.
Set 3: Berry opened the third set with a kill, while two aces from Flynn and two kills from Kuhlman helped ESU jump ahead 6-2. Lees-McRae cut the deficit to 10-8 before the Warriors responded with four consecutive points to extend their lead to 16-10. Kuhlman then recorded four consecutive aces to push the Warriors ahead by seven, 20-13. Despite Lees-McRae going on a late 4-0 run,
Natalie Small delivered the set winning kill.
Set 4: Novatne opened the fourth and final set with a kill before
Selena Hochendoner followed with an ace, 2-0. The Warriors later used an 8-2 run to build a 15-11 advantage. Three kills from Berry helped extend the lead to 21-14, and Kuhlman finished the match with a kill to give ESU the 25-18 victory.
Up Next
The Warriors return to action tomorrow, August 29, at the Fairmont State Volleyball Classic with matches against Anderson and Fairmont State.
