LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- The West Chester women's volleyball team returned to the road on Friday evening for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matchup opposite Lock Haven in the first match of a weekend road trip, which will see the Golden Rams travel to Bloomsburg tomorrow to continue its seven-match road trip. West Chester extended its winning streak to seven in a row on Friday night with a 3-1 (25-20, 16-25, 25-19, 25-21) triumph over Lock Haven to improve to 10-3 on the year and a perfect 2-0 in league play.
After splitting the first two sets with West Chester claiming the opening set 25-20 before dropping the second set 16-25, the Golden Rams quickly jumped out to a 10-5 lead to open the third set, which prompted a Lock Haven timeout. Following this timeout, Lock Haven answered with a 7-0 run of its own, which prompted a West Chester timeout with the Golden Rams trailing 12-10. This timeout had the desired affect as West Chester responded quickly with a 4-0 run of its own to reclaim a 14-12 lead nearing the midway point of the set. Thanks in large part to this quick run, West Chester was able to hold off Lock Haven and capture the third set by a score of 25-19 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, West Chester and Lock Haven traded runs throughout the early going as West Chester held a 13-10 lead nearing the midway point of the set. Lock Haven responded with a 5-1 run of its own to reclaim a slim 15-14 lead at the midway point of the set. The Golden Rams countered with a 4-1 run of its own, to reclaim an 18-16 lead, which prompted a Bald Eagle timeout. Lock Haven answered with a run 5-2 run of its own once again to claim a 21-20 lead late in the set, which led to another West Chester timeout. This timeout had the desired impact as it halted the Lock Haven run and sparked a West Chester run as the Golden Rams stormed back to capture the fourth set by a final of 25-21 and earn the 3-1 match victory.
Olivia Rudjord (Fogelsville, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) led a trio of Golden Rams in double figures for kills 16 on the night while also posting a stellar .577 hitting percentage to lead all players in the victory.
Julia Vreeswyk (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and
Sarah Polacek (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont HIlltop) joined Rudjord in double figures with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Rudjord also led the team in blocks on the evening with seven with Vreeswyk chipped in four blocks of her own in the victory.
Jamie Byrne (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) registered her eighth double-double of the season with a match-high 41 assists while also logging 10 digs.
Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton) led the way for the Golden Rams in digs once again with a team-high 19 on the evening while also recording one ace in the victory.
As a team, West Chester hit .238 on the match while holding Lock Haven to a .181 hitting percentage en route to the 3-1 victory.
West Chester will return to action tomorrow afternoon on the road at Bloomsburg with that contest set to begin at 1 p.m.
