WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The West Chester University volleyball team kicked off the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southeast Division portion of their schedule on Tuesday by defeating Millersville 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-27, 25-21, 15-12) inside the Hollinger Field House.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After dropping the opening set, the Golden Rams (16-2, 5-2 PSAC) built a slim 20-19 advantage in the second frame. The home team went on to score five of the last six points in frame to grab set two (25-20) and knot the match at 1-1.
- Millersville (9-7, 4-3 PSAC) won a hard-fought third set 27-25, before the Golden Rams answered back with a 25-21 win in set four to stave off defeat and force a fifth and deciding set.
- The Marauders looked to be in control of the match in the finale, as the visitors raced out to an 11-8 lead in the first-to-15 set. Down three, a kill from Freshman Julia Vreeswyk (YARDLEY, PA/PENNSBURY) sparked a 5-0 run to put the home team back on top, 13-11. Following a MU kill by Jaci Suseland, WCU closed out the match with a kill from junior Rachel Robb (BLACKWOOD, N.J./PAUL VI) and a Marauder's attack error to begin divisional play with a 3-2 victory at home.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Golden Rams' 69 kills and 11 total blocks against the Marauders were both season highs.
- Millersville's .192 (57-22-182) hitting percentage marked the 16th time this season that West Chester held its opponent under a .200 clip. Entering tonight's match, WCU's 0.106 opponent hitting percentage ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division II.
- Setter Jillian Grammer (CENTER VALLEY, PA./SOUTHERN LEHIGH) notched her ninth double-double (59 assists/19 digs) in a row on Tuesday, with her 59 helpers marking the most for the senior since she handed out 63 dimes against Millersville in 2016.
- Vreeswyk's season-high 17 kills paced five West Chester players in double digits, with Robb (15), freshman Grace Whitney (GLENSIDE, PA/ABINGTON) (12), senior Allie Duffy (CARLISLE, PA./ CARLISLE) (11) and sophomore Brianna Fisher (WALLINGFORD, PA./STRATH HAVEN) (10) all contributing the WCU's season-high 69 total kills.
- Graduate student Nicki Yates (COOPERSBURG, PA./SOUTHERN LEHIGH) paced the Golden Rams with 22 digs on the night, while Alex Gleason's (LANDENBERG, PA./KENNETT) 17 scoops were the most by the senior this year.
- West Chester improved to 3-0 in five-set matches this season following Tuesday's victory.
UP NEXT
- After playing its last three matches at home, WCU will hit the road this weekend to square off against Shippensburg on Friday (7:00 p.m.) before taking on Pitt-Johnstown at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
