EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- The East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat the West Chester Golden Rams, 3-1, in a back-and-forth matchup Friday evening. Set scores were 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, and 25-11.
Kelly Crites led the Warriors with 17 kills, followed by Jadyn Orava with 16 and Rylee Ruggiero with 11. Defensively, Harry Berry tallied two solo blocks and four assisted blocks, while Lainey Lichota recorded four of ESU's seven service aces.
Set 1: The teams exchanged points early before a 5-0 run by the Golden Rams gave West Chester a 19-15 advantage. ESU responded with kills from Ruggiero and Crites to cut the deficit to one at 20-19. West Chester answered with a 4-1 run to move ahead 24-20. Consecutive kills from Kailynn Dupre and Orava brought the Warriors back within one, but the Golden Rams closed out the set on a kill, 25-23.
Set 2: ESU jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second set before West Chester battled back to tie the score at 8-8. The teams continued to trade points until a 6-0 run by the Warriors put ESU ahead 20-15. A West Chester kill ended the run, but ESU responded with another 3-0 run to make it 23-16.The teams traded the final points, with kills from Crites and Bishop helping the Warriors secure the set, 25-18.
Set 3: The Warriors opened the third set with a 3-0 run, but the Golden Rams quickly responded, tying the score and taking a 9-8 lead. ESU answered with an 8-0 run to build a 16-9 advantage. West Chester used a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to four at 20-16, then later put together a 4-1 run to make it 24-20. Crites finished the set with a kill to give ESU the 25-20 victory.
Set 4: Consecutive blocks from Orava and Berry helped the Warriors build an early 7-3 lead. West Chester pulled within one before ESU responded with a 7-0 run to extend its advantage to 14-6. Another 4-0 run pushed the Warriors ahead 18-7. Orava and Crites recorded the final two kills of the match as ESU closed out the fourth set, 25-11.
Up Next
The Warriors return to action tomorrow at Koehler Fieldhouse against Millersville.
