SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.- The West Chester University women's volleyball team (8-8, 2-4) returned to action on Saturday evening at Shepherd (9-10, 4-2) in a PSAC Eastern Division clash. West Chester battled back from two sets down to force a decisive fifth set but eventually fell by a 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 16-14) final.
West Chester and Shepherd traded points early in the first set before the host Rams went on a 6-1 run to take a 14-8 lead over their guests. The Golden Rams fought their way back into the set, trailing by just a pair (24-22), but Shepherd closed out the opening set with a kill to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, Shepherd jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, eventually stretching its advantage to 17-8 at the set's midway point. West Chester responded with a run of its own, cutting the deficit to 23-20 late in the set, but Shepherd closed well again, escaping with a 25-21 second-set victory.
Eager to extend the match, West Chester jumped out to an early lead in the third set, pulling ahead quickly to 14-9 before extending its lead to 18-10 entering the late stages of the set. With an eight-point lead late in the set, West Chester was able to hold off a late Shepherd charge and earn a 25-23 third-set victory, thus extending the match.
In the fourth set, West Chester got out to an early lead once again, pulling ahead to a 17-13 advantage before Shepherd began its comeback. The Rams managed to take a 23-22 lead late in the set, but a 3-0 run by the Golden Rams, punctuated by a
Zoe Haines (York, Pa./York Suburban) kill, gave the visitors the 25-23 fourth set victory, forcing a decisive fifth set.
West Chester got out to an early 9-6 lead in the fifth set and lead 14-13 late, but Shepherd closed out the match on a 3-0 run of its own to escape with a 16-14 fifth-set victory over the upset-minded Golden Rams.
Haines led the team in kills, finishing with 13, while fellow sophomores
Lexy Caltabiano (Woolwich Twp, N.J./GCIT) and Nicole Dimiris (Hockessin, Del./Saint Marks) chipped in 12 kills each.
Megan St. Jean (Eaton, Co./Eaton) led the team in aces (3) and assists (27), while Dimiris led in blocks with nine. In addition to her 12 kills, Caltabiano also added five blocks and a team-high 19 digs in the setback.
Jordan Pryor led Shepherd on Saturday evening, finishing with 15 kills and three aces, while Amya Davis added 15 kills and three blocks of her own.
Up Next:
West Chester will return to action on Wednesday night at Millersville beginning at 7 p.m.
