WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's volleyball team lifted the lid on its 2024 season on Friday in the opening day of the annual PSAC East Kickoff Challenge. West Chester hosted Pitt-Johnstown and the University of Charleston (W.V.) on Friday and dropped both matches by a 3-0 finals. West Chester fell to UPJ to open the day by a 25-16, 25-15, 25-19 final before falling short against Charleston by a 25-21, 29-27, 25-15 final in the nightcap.
Match 1: UPJ 3 WCU 0
West Chester started the match with the first two points but Pitt-Johnstown countered with a big run to take a commanding 20-12 lead late in the first set. West Chester worked to battle its way back into the opening set but the visitors emerged with a 25-16 first-set victory to take an early 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair throughout the early going as the match was tied at 11-11 in the early stages. UPJ went on a quick 3-0 run to take a 14-11 lead and prompt the first Golden Ram timeout of the set. The Mountain Cat run continued out of the timeout as UPJ established a 19-12 lead entering the late stages of the set. West Chester continued its comeback bid as the second set continued but the UPJ lead was enough for the Mountain Cats to earn a 25-15 victory over the Golden Rams and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was a tight affair once again but Pitt-Johnstown used another late-set run to escape with a 25-19 victory and a 3-0 match win over the host Golden Rams.
Newcomer
Anna Richardson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) led the Golden Rams in kills with nine, while fellow rookie
Julia Kwitchoff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara) led the way in aces with four.
Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove) led the way in assists with 12, while also tying with
Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton) for the team lead in digs with nine each.
Ellie Zuro led all players in kills with 16, while Adiamar Beaz ran the offense well, finishing with 27 assists along with six digs, which was second only to Gabriella DeRenzo, who posted eight digs in the victory. Mallory Pinske led in blocks with seven to go along with three from Zuro and two from Beaz to help keep the Golden Ram hitters in check throughout the match.
Today's setback vs UPJ marked the first time since the 2012 season that West Chester has not opened the year with a victory.
Match 2: UCWV 3 WCU 0
West Chester and Charleston traded points early but it was an early run by the visitors, which gave the Golden Eagles a 14-10 lead and prompted an early WCU timeout. West Chester halted the run out of the timeout but Charleston wasted little time in getting back on another run, extending its lead to 19-12, forcing another Golden Ram timeout. West Chester put together a 7-4 run from this point, which cut the Charleston lead down to 23-19 and prompted the first Charleston timeout of the night. West Chester got the deficit to 23-20 after an
Abiah Lane (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) kill but three points was as close as the Golden Rams would come, dropping the opening set by a 25-21 final.
West Chester jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and held a slim advantage throughout the early going of the second set. Charleston went on a mid-set run, which took the score from 11-7 in favor of WCU to 16-14 for UC, forcing a quick timeout. West Chester mounted a late run in the second set to erase the Charleston advantage and claim a 23-22 lead late in the set, which prompted a Golden Eagle timeout. The timeout did its job as Charleston won the first two points out of the break to take a 24-23 lead and force the second Golden Ram timeout of the set. West Chester staved off four consecutive set points before a big block by Emma Shepherd and Reagan McLean lifted Charleston to a 29-27 second set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Charleston jumped out to an early 9-3 lead in the third set, which led to the first timeout of the third set by the Golden Rams. Charleston continued its stellar third set performance, outscoring West Chester 10-5 out of the timeout to take a 19-8 lead late in the final set. West Chester battled back in the late stages of the third set, but its comeback bid was not enough to extend the match as Charleston held on for a 25-15 victory and a 3-0 win in the match.
CeCe Isenberg (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) tied with Richardson to lead WCU in kills in the nightcap. Heffner led the team in aces with three, while also posting a team-best 19 digs.
Megan St. Jean (Eaton, Co./Eaton) led the way in assists with 15, while
Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove) chipped in 12 of her own.
Reagan McLean and Emma Shepherd led a balanced attack for Charleston, finishing with seven kills each, while McLean also posted a team-best four blocks and Shepherd led the way in aces with three. Chloe Fortner led the team in digs in with 16, while Abby Avila controlled the offense with 21 helpers in the triumph.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action tomorrow morning against Jefferson at 11 a.m. before wrapping up the Kickoff Tournament against Wilmington tomorrow night at 5 p.m.
