WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's volleyball team (18-6, 6-4) will return to action this weekend in Hollinger for its final homestand of the season against Kutztown (12-12, 4-6) on Friday evening at 6 p.m. and East Stroudsburg (19-5, 9-1) on Saturday afternoon at 1. Friday's match vs Kutztown will be the Golden Rams' annual Food Drive and Summer Camper Night, while Saturday's matchup against the Warriors will be Senior Day.
West Chester vs Kutztown
Match Details: November 7 I 6 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 33-24 (Since 1997)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Kutztown Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
West Chester vs East Stroudsburg
Match Details: November 8 I 1 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 48-39
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
ESU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester wrapped up non-league play with a victory on Wednesday night, defeating Pace by a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-22) final, led by 13 kills from
Abiah Lane (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) and nine more, along with three blocks from
CeCe Isenberg (Berwick, Pa./Berwick). Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove) led West Chester in assists with 35, along with a team-best two aces, to help West Chester pick up the non-league sweep.
Flock Talk
West Chester finished non-league play at 12-2 with its win over Pace on Wednesday night and, in the process, improved to 10-2 in Hollinger Field House this season.
Zoe Haines (York, Pa./York Suburban) remains the team leader in kills with 254, while Lane is second with 243. Brown leads the Golden Rams in assists with 816, while also leading the team in aces with 45. Lane is second in aces with 31.
Elianna Freeman (Jersey Village, Texas/Jersey Village) remains first on the team in digs with 229, while
Julia Kwitchoff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) leads the team in blocks with 67.
Home Sweet Home
West Chester heads into the weekend 10-2 in Hollinger this season, with the lone losses being to Shippensburg and Shepherd on October 17 and 18. Outside of these setbacks, West Chester has dropped just three sets at home this season, dropping one in a 3-1 win over Felician and two in a 3-2 win over Lock Haven on Alumni Day.
The Playoff Picture
West Chester appears well-positioned for a return to the PSAC Tournament in 2025 as the team holds a two-game lead over both Kutztown and Lock Haven, with head-to-head wins over both in the first meetings earlier this season. By virtue of its win over Shepherd on Saturday afternoon in West Virginia, West Chester is currently tied for third place in the East with Shepherd.
2025 marks the first year of Quarterfinal crossover in the PSAC Tournament, meaning the East will face the West in the opening round. While the Golden Rams are still in need of a few wins in the next two weeks to solidify their place in the field, the chances are certainly strong. Should West Chester wind up as the fourth seed, the Golden Rams would trek to Gannon for a PSAC Quarterfinal on November 18. If the team is the third seed, they would likely face either Indiana (Pa.), Pitt-Johnstown, or Seton Hill.
Thank You Seniors
On Saturday, West Chester will pause warmups roughly 20 minutes before the match to honor its senior class, which includes
Abiah Lane,
Lexy Caltabiano,
Megan St. Jean,
Zoe Haines,
Megan Wolfe, and
Lacie Brown, for all they have accomplished in their careers as Golden Rams.
Series History
West Chester holds a 33-24 lead over Kutztown since 1997 and trails East Stroudsburg 48-39. West Chester beat Kutztown in five sets earlier this season for its sixth straight win over the Golden Bears. West Chester is 13-3 against Kutztown in Hollinger since 2007 and has not lost to the Golden Bears at home since November 2011.
Against East Stroudsburg, West Chester fell by a 3-0 final to the Warriors, marking the team's fifth loss in a row. West Chester is 13-3 against ESU at home since 2007, including a 3-2 win in West Chester in 2022, which was also the Golden Rams' last win over the Warriors.
Scouting Kutztown
Kutztown (12-12, 4-6) enters the weekend riding a two-game winning streak after taking matches from Bloomsburg and Lock Haven at home last weekend to finish up a three-game homestand, which had started with a 3-0 loss to East Stroudsburg on October 25. Against Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon, Kutztown split the first two sets before winning the third and fourth by 25-20 scores to earn a 3-1 match victory. Madilyn Bogovic led Kutztown in kills with 18 and digs with 19, while Emma Baldridge led the team in assists and blocks with 42 and three. Baldridge also finished with 17 digs, which was second best on the team.
Paige Skinner leads Kutztown in kills with 330, while Bogovic is second with 301 and first in aces with 41. Grace White leads the team in blocks with 63, while Saige Thibodeaux is first in digs with 479. Baldridge leads Kutztown in assists with 826.
Scouting East Stroudsburg
East Stroudsburg (19-7, 9-1) comes into the weekend riding a seven-game winning streak and sitting just one loss away from tying first-place Shippensburg, who remains unbeaten atop the PSAC East standings. The Warriors will start their weekend with a Friday night match at Millersville beginning at 6, hoping to extend their streak after a pair of 3-1 victories over Lock Haven and Bloomsburg at home last weekend. Against Bloomsburg on Saturday, ESU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before the Huskies captured the third set by a 25-19 final to extend the match. East Stroudsburg countered quickly with a 25-16 fourth-set victory to win the match by a 3-1 final. Anna Coulter led ESU in kills with 15, while Kyra Bishop led the team in aces and assists with three and 40, respectively. Marta Leeland led the team in digs with 16, while Harry Berry led the team in blocks with six.
Coulter is first on the team in kills with 312, while Kelly Crites is second with 189. Coulter also leads the team in blocks with 14. Marta Leeland is first on the team in aces (33) and digs (411), while the duo of Bishop and Kata Kovacs are first and second in assists with 404 and 403, respectively.
Up Next
West Chester will conclude its regular season next weekend with visits to Bloomsburg and Lock Haven on Friday and Saturday evening, as both matches are set to begin at 6 p.m.
