The Bloomsburg University Women’s Volleyball team concluded their play at the Ashland University Tournament this past Saturday.
Despite their best efforts, the Huskies now are at a 1-3 record thus far in 2019. While just barely losing on Friday to Fairmont State, Bloomsburg triumphed over Felician State in a five-set win.
Saturday saw the Huskies play with determination against Notre Dame College and Ashland University, but could not gain a victory over either of the two.
In the fight against Fairmont State, it was the combined efforts of sophomores Mary Kate Mooney and Grace Giza, who ran the offensive front for the Huskies.
Mooney scored 12 kills along with two assisted blocks and seven digs. This combined for a team-high total of 13 points.
Giza sported 11 kills all while not committing a hitting error in a totaled 21 attempts. She was not done though, as she added a solo and assisted block for a total of 12.5 points.
Another seven kills paired with two service aces added up to nine points came from the sophomore Sydney Buell.
Excellence at the setter position came from the duo of sophomore Bryn Stek and freshman Brooke Kratzer. Stek managed to grab 12 assists along with nine digs on the afternoon while Kratzer played phenomenally recording 10 digs and securing her first double-double of the season at 16 assists. The pair also tied with a total of four service aces.
On the defensive side, junior Alyssa Cianciulli gave the Huskies a much-needed 15 digs.
The Huskies would end up losing the match to the Fighting Falcons, despite hitting .211 for the match. Though only allowing Fairmont State to hit a .269 percentage, they suffered an overall defeat in the fiercely competitive sets of 29-27, 25-19, and 25-23.
In their battle against Felician, the Huskies found new life. Led by the tremendous efforts of Buell, the sophomore scored 20 kills, one solo block, eight digs, and four assisted blocks totaling to a match-high 24 points. Her 20-kill performance is the third-most scored in a single match in the young program’s history.
A double-double of 15 kills paired with 11 digs would come from Mooney, who had 16.5 points on the day. Giza had another great day, as she totaled 11 points coming from four assisted blocks, three solo blocks, and six kills.
This was an especially pertinent game for Giza, as her seven blocks broke her personal record of six, she set at Susquehanna last season.
The whole Husky team game together as a unit for this match against Fecilian, Stek posted up 19 assists and 12 digs, while Kratzer had 23 assists pair with 11 digs.
A school record breaking 44 digs in a five-set match was set by Cianciulli, a mere eight less than the 52 she set against West Virginia Wesleyan last season.
While only hitting .080 against Felician, 15 total blocks has become the new school record. The score for the matches were 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 18-25, and 16-14.
In Saturday’s match against the Notre Dame College Falcons, Mooney again showed her prowess as a player. She led her team with 10.5 points coming from an assisted block, eight kills, and two solo blocks. Sophomore Mia Nicholes scored eight kills and two assisted blocks to come out to nine points.
Kratzer rose to the occasion yet again with a performance of 16 assists and 11 digs. Stek demonstrated her defensive strength with her 10 assists and 10 digs.
Freshman Julia Burcin ended her match with 8.5 points coming from three assisted blocks and seven kills. Cianciulli proved to be a defensive force to be reckoned with after her match-high 32 digs and three service aces.
The Huskies could not overcome their Falcon contenders, suffering defeats in the sets of 12-25, 27-25, 18-25, and 17-25.
In the match against Ashland’s Eagles, Giza led the team’s offense with 12 kills at a .379 percentage. Her double assisted blocks totaled up to the team high 13 points.
Nicholes and Burcin put up five kills apiece, while the duo of freshman Shayna Warfel and Mooney nabbed seven kills each. The defensive side saw great efforts from Kratzer and Stek. Stek sported 10 digs and 11 assists and Kratzer boasted 19 assists. Mooney also added her season-high 18 digs paired with Cianciulli’s 22 digs.
It was another defeat in this match, with the sets ending in 15-25, 10-25, 25-22, and 16-25.
The Huskies next match will be in the Post University Tournament, where they will travel to Waterbury, Connecticut. The tournament is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the 14 and 15 of September.
Bloomsburg unfortunately does not play in front of their home crowd until BU’s family weekend on Oct. 4, where the Huskies will battle conference foe Clarion University at 7 p.m.