SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.- Making its first PSAC Tournament appearance since the 2017 season, the West Chester women's volleyball team (22-8) returned to action on Tuesday evening against a familiar opponent in the No. 2 seed Shepherd Rams (24-3). West Chester battled throughout but Shepherd held on for a hard fought 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 30-28) victory over the Golden Rams on Tuesday night.
In the first set, West Chester and Shepherd traded points throughout the early going as the host Rams held on to a slim 8-7 lead in the early going. With its slim lead, Shepherd went on a run, which extended the lead to 18-13 en route to a 25-21 opening set victory.
Similarly to the first set, West Chester and Shepherd traded points throughout much of the early part of the second set, but Shepherd held a slim 9-8 lead early in the set. West Chester remained well within striking distance late into the set, trailing by just five (20-15) entering the late stages of the set. Shepherd pulled away late, however, taking the third set by a 25-15 final to go up 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, West Chester battled throughout, staying within one point of the Rams for much of the set as the Golden Rams worked to extend the match. Shepherd held a slim 18-16 lead late in the set, which prompted a West Chester timeout as the Golden Rams prepared to enter the crucial final points of the set. Out of the timeout,
Olivia Rudjord (Fogelsville, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) kill sparked a 7-2 run, which saw West Chester climb out to a 23-20 lead late in the third set, which prompted a timeout by the host Rams. This timeout had the desired impact as Shepherd was able to rally back and even the set at 24-24. From this point, West Chester and Shepherd traded points but it was Shepherd who earned the final two points of the match to escape with a 30-28 third set victory and win the match by a 3-0 final.
Julia Vreeswyk (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) posted a team-high 10 kills in the setback while fellow seniors
Grace Whitney (Glenside, Pa./Abington) and
Sarah Polacek (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) ended with eight kills each with Rudjord chipping in five of her own while also leading the team in blocks with seven.
Jamie Byrne (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) led the team in assists with 22 on the night while also leading the team in digs with 14.
Ali Miller (Enola, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and
Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton) also ended in double figures for digs with 12 and 11, respectively.
For Shepherd, Mikaylah Hoy led the team in kills with 12 while Kitanna Rakestraw, Elyssia Smith, and Georgia Ohmke registered six blocks each in the victory.
