WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester women's volleyball team (1-2) returned to action on Saturday afternoon against a pair of strong opponents in Rollins College and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). West Chester battled throughout the day, starting its day at 12 p.m. and not concluding until nearly 8 p.m. but dropped both matches, falling to Rollins by a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-20) final and IUP by a 3-1 (13-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-11) final in the nightcap.
Match 1: Rollins 3 WCU 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-20)
West Chester and Rollins traded points early before a 5-1 run by the Tars gave the visitors a 12-7 lead before stretching the lead to 20-12 late in the set. This late advantage proved to be enough for the Tars to claim the first set by a 25-15 final, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, West Chester and Rollins traded points throughout the set as the Golden Rams held a narrow 16-15 lead entering the late stages of the set. The visitors closed out the second set on a 10-4 run to erase the late deficit and take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 victory over the Golden Rams.
West Chester got out to an early lead in the third set, leading 4-1 early and eventually holding an 11-10 lead midway through the third set. Rollins countered with a 10-5 run to take a commanding 20-16 lead late in the set, en route to a 25-20 third set victory and a 3-0 win in the match.
Brynn Dreisbach (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) led West Chester in kills in the match with seven, while
Tori Wright (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) added six of her own. Wright also led the way in digs with seven, while
Jamie Byrne (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) logged a team-high 22 assists.
Lana Gerard led Rollins in kills with 12, while Emma Begley picked up a match-best five aces in the victory. Natalie Horsley led the team in assists with 27, while Adriana Lopez led in digs with 13 in the victory over the homestanding Golden Rams.
Match 2: IUP 3 WCU 1 (13-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-11)
IUP took an early 7-4 lead in the first set before West Chester countered with a 7-0 run, which was sparked by back-to-back Golden Ram blocks to take an 11-7 lead and force an early IUP timeout. Out of the timeout, West Chester continued to impose its will, stretching its lead to 17-11 thanks in part to a back-to-back block and kill by
Hailey Lewis (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East), which prompted the second IUP timeout of the opening set. The Golden Rams continued their strong run of play down the stretch of the first set, closing out a 25-13 opening-set victory.
Eager to avoid falling behind 2-0 in the match, IUP got out to an early lead in the second set and eventually stretched this advantage to 18-12, entering the late stages of the set. West Chester climbed back into the set with a 7-2 run, which cut the deficit to 20-19 before IUP rattled off two quick points to take a 22-19 lead and prompt the second WCU timeout of the set. West Chester got the score back to 23-22 late, but IUP closed out with a 2-0 run to even at the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 second set win.
The Crimson Hawks raced out to an early lead in the third set as well, pulling ahead to a 12-5 lead, prompting the first West Chester timeout of the set. After this timeout, IUP closed out the set with a 25-15 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, IUP jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, prompting a quick WCU timeout. The Golden Rams and Crimson Hawks traded points over the next 12 points, moving the score to 13-7 in favor of the visitors, leading to the second WCU timeout of the set. Down the stretch of the fourth set, IUP completed its come-from-behind victory by winning the fourth set with a 25-11 final to capture the 3-1 match victory.
Dreisbach led the way in kills once again with 10 while
Zoe Haines (York, Pa./York Suburban) added seven kills of her own to go along with three blocks, which was second-best on the team, trailing only
Nicole Dimiris (Hockessin, Del./Saint Mark's) who had four blocks in the setback. Byrne finished the game with 26 assists, while Wright tied with
Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton) for the team lead in digs with nine.
Nyla Birch led IUP in kills with 12, while Lauren Valentic led the way in blocks with five rejections to help lead the Crimson Hawks to the victory. Kat Warpinski dished out a team-high 21 assists while also tying for the team lead in aces with two. Bailey Flowerdew led the team in digs with 15 to help slow the WCU attack.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday night vs Jefferson beginning at 7 p.m. in Hollinger Field House. The Golden Rams will host another multi-team Tournament in Hollinger next weekend, hosting Pitt-Johnstown, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Felician for the year's second weekend.
