The Bloomsburg women’s volleyball team had a historic win this past Homecoming weekend at the Nelson Field House. The Huskies overcame the visiting Kutztown Golden Bears in three straight sets for the program’s first ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) win.
The match’s first set saw both teams battling. The lead jumped from both squads until the Golden Bears started to pull away with a 15-10 lead. The Huskies then battled back to 17-17 with a 7-2 run to knot up the first set.
Three kills came from Gomish, with help from Prior and freshman Autumn Atland.Bloomsburg managed to hold a slight lead at 24-21, but a point from the Golden Bears kept the crowd on their feet. Fresman Grace Giza quickly rose to the occassion and ended the set with a kill, giving the Huskies a 25-22 set win.
In the second set, Bloomsburg started out by firing an explosive 11 unanswered points to take an 11-0 lead. A pair of kills were rattled off by Gomish and single kills were scored by Giza, Nicholes, and Mooney.Despite a few Kutztown points, the Huskies maintained their strong lead at 15-6.
With the game now within single digits, decisive action was taken and Bloomsburg spiked down four consecutive points.
Once again, kills rained down on the Golden Bears from the duo of Gomish and Prior. Cianciulli got an ace and the set-ending block came from the combination of Giza and Prior.The set ended with the Huskies on top 25-12, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
As the third and final set of the match began, the pressure was hard on the visiting Golden Bears. An early lead had the Golden Bears on top 8-3, but Bloomsburg kept the fight alive and brought the score to within one at 15-14.
Gomish brought in a kill, Cianciulli tacked on an ace, and the efforts of Giza and Stek both scored a kill. Kutztown then opted to take a timeout in attempt to keep this match from ending in only three sets.
The final set was tight from start to finish. A back and forth battle from both teams kept the score close throughout the entire match. A 21-21 tie in the third set had everyone on their feet at the Nelson Field House.
With the score tied and Kutztown with their backs against the walls, the Huskies knew this was their time to finish. A stretch of four unanswered points ended the match with a Bloomsburg win 25-21.
Notable performances from the Huskies came from redshirt senior outside hitter Sarah Gomish who sported 15 kills, eight digs, and a team-high 16 points. Freshman outside hitter Mary Kate Mooney added six kills with an ace.
Leading the match in assissts were freshman setters Emma Van Arsdale and Bryn Sterk, as Sterk had 18 and Van Arsdale with 11.
The last notable name on the stat sheet was sophomore defensive specialist Alyssa Cianciulli, who posted an impressive seven assists, two aces, and a match-high 25 digs for the Huskies in the win.
With their first PSAC win in team history, this will be a homecoming to remember for the girls. Their record improves to a 5-13 overall and can now boast a 1-8 in the PSAC division.
The Huskies travel to Shippensburg University to battle the Red Raiders on Friday, Oct. 12. The opening serve is set for 7:00 p.m.