Box Score WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Golden Rams returned home for a rare home match this year and looked dominant in taking the first set easily, but in the end Georgian Court University came away with a five set non-league victory Tuesday Night at the newly renovated Hollinger Field House.
West Chester (8-5, 0-4 PSAC) raced to an early lead in the first set never to be challenged
Paige Thommes led the way with three kills, in a 25-11 triumph.
Buoyed by a renewed energy to start the set, Georgian Court (5-8) charged out to a 5-0 lead and held a 21-19 advantage. West Chester scored three points in a row to take a 22-21 lead, a Lions timeout stemmed the tide, as they responded with three of their own, then evened the match with a block and a 25-23 victory. Jhoan Agosto Rivera recorded five kills in the set, for the Lions. Julia O'Brien and Marina Sharkey had six kills apiece for the Golden Rams who were unable to overcome six serving errors.
Coming off four straight defeats in Erie over the weekend West Chester appeared to have their confidence shaken in the second and early in the third.
The third set was see-sawing when the Golden Rams began to regain their confidence, widening the lead to 16-11 eventually winning the set 25-15 on an
Allison Grammer kill. West Chester recorded five blocks in the set.
The fourth set was all Golden Rams early as they bolted to an 8-2 lead. Georgian Court showed the heart of a lion rallying to take an 11-9 advantage. The roller coaster ride continued with the Lions moving in front 21-17, and winning the set 25-20, evening the match at 2 sets apiece.
Set five started ominously for the Golden Rams, with the Lions grabbing the first three points and holding an 8-5 edge when the teams switched sides. Trailing 13-6, West Chester rallied to make it 13-10, but the Lions ended as 15-11 winners, taking the match three sets to two.
Julia O'Brien finished with a team high 13 kills; Marina Sharkey added 12 to go along with 11 digs.
Tori Hutchinson led the way with 22 assists and
Mandy Flynn had 15 assists and a team high 13 digs.
West Chester begins a stretch of 10 road matches in a row on Friday with PSAC contest when they travel to Shippensburg for a 7 PM start.
