WEST CHESTER, Pa. - West Chester University volleyball beat Lock Haven University in three sets in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matchup on Friday night.
Sophomore
Olivia Rudjord (Fogelsville, Pa. / Allentown Central Catholic) played a pivotal role in the victory, crushing 13 kills while hitting .478 with five block assists.
The Golden Rams improved to 15-11 overall and 3-10 in PSAC matches while Lock Haven drops to 6-17 and 0-13. The set scores were 25-16, 25-18 and 25-17.
How it happened:
- West Chester let Lock Haven stick around in the first set as the Golden Rams led 19-16. However, Rudjord's kill to make it 20-16 led a six-point rally to close it out.
- The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 9-6 advantage in the second set, but once again, a Rudjord kill sparked a West Chester run that made the score 11-9. The Golden Rams saw themselves down 15-12 before scoring 13 of the final 16 points to win it. Sophomore Grace Whitney (Glenside, Pa. / Abington) had the first two kills in that WCU rally.
- The Golden Rams never trailed in the third set, taking an 8-3 lead that they never relinquished. There was a lot of back and forth before sophomore Julia Vreeswyk (Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury) sealed the deal with a kill.
Inside the numbers:
- Rudjord's 13 kills were a career high. And her five block assists were one shy of her career-high six that she had in a match at Seton Hill on Oct. 19, 2018.
- Three Golden Rams reached double-digit dig totals in Friday's win. Graduate student Shaye Whiteman (Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettysburg) had 15 while freshmen Ali Miller (Enola, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) and Mel June (Morton, Pa. / Ridley) had 10 each. June also added three service aces, and Miller had two.
- Whitney finished the match with nine kills and a match-high .500 hitting percentage.
- Senior Emily Ahern (Downingtown, Pa. / Downingtown West) and freshman Jillian Borgerding (Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Highlands Ranch) led the Golden Rams with 13 and 10 assists, respectively.
- West Chester forced Lock Haven to hit -.024 as a team in the match. The Golden Rams hit .227.
Up next:
West Chester has a quick turnaround as it welcomes another PSAC opponent in Bloomsburg University to Hollinger Field House on Saturday at 1 p.m.
