LAKEWOOD, N.J.- After a thrilling 3-2 win over Queens on Saturday afternoon in its penultimate non-league match of the year, the West Chester University women's volleyball team (10-12) took to the road on Monday night for its non-league finale at Georgian Court. West Chester battled throughout the match, but the homestanding Lions proved too much, defeating the Golden Rams by a 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-20) final.
West Chester battled throughout the first set and cut the deficit to 13-10 early after an
Anna Richardson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) kill. West Chester remained within striking distance as the set progressed, trailing by as few as four (19-15) late in the stanza, but Georgian Court closed it out on a 6-2 run to claim the opening set by a 25-17 final.
The second set told a similar story as the two sides traded points throughout the early going. Georgian Court eventually used an 11-4 run to take a 19-12 lead and force a West Chester timeout. The Lions continued their strong second-set performance out of the timeout, eventually earning a 25-16 victory to carry a commanding 2-0 lead into the third set.
In the third, GCU jumped out to an 8-2 lead over West Chester before the Golden Rams rattled off three in a row, including a kill by
Lexy Caltabiano (Woolwich Twp, N.J./GCIT) and an
Ashlyn Oswald (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) ace to make it 8-5 and prompt a Georgian Court timeout. The Lions timeout did its job in halting the Golden Ram momentum for the moment as Oswald committed a service error out of the break, but
Nicole Dimiris (Hockessin, Del./Saint Mark's) cut the deficit back to 9-6 with a kill moments later. West Chester continued to battle back in the third set, cutting the deficit to 15-14 late after another 5-0 run, including a kill by Richardson and a pair of aces from
Megan St. Jean (Eaton, Co./Eaton). This run forced Georgian Court to take its second timeout of the set, and this timeout seemed to do its job once more as the Lions won the first two points out of the timeout to take a 17-14 lead and a bit of breathing room again. West Chester refused to go away quietly, continuing to battle back, and after a Richardson block, found itself within one (17-16) yet again. The Golden Rams continued battling down the stretch, but the Lions found just enough to go on a modest 8-4 run and close out the match by a 25-20 final on Monday night.
Julia Kwitchoff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) led the team in kills with six, while Haines, Caltabiano, and Richardson all finished with five each. Hanes led the team in blocks with 1.5 in the setback.
Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove) led the team in assists with 21, while St. Jean led the group in aces with two.
Nylene Mateo led Georgian Court in kills with 13, while Giorgia Cappelletti was second with 10 of her own. Iciar Zayas led the way in assists with 19, while Dayna Diaz chipped in 15 of her own. Mateo also led the team in aces with four, along with 11 digs, which was second to Carmen Rivera, who finished with 18.
Up Next:
West Chester returns home this weekend to take on Lock Haven and Bloomsburg in a pair of crucial PSAC East matches inside Hollinger Field House.
