WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's volleyball team (3-0) was back in action on Saturday in a pair of matches against Dominican (0-3) and Charleston (3-1). West Chester earned a pair of 3-0 victories on Saturday, capturing the opener by a 25-16, 25-15, 25-17 final over Dominican before knocking off Charleston 25-23, 25-19, 25-22 in the nightcap.
Match 1: WCU 3 Dominican 0
Anna Richardson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) led West Chester (2-0) in kills with 10 as the Golden Rams downed Dominican (0-3) by a 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-17) final in the first match of the day on Saturday inside Hollinger Field House.
Abiah Lane (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) and
Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove) tied for second with seven kills each. Lane led the team in aces with three, while
Zoe Haines (York, Pa./York Suburban) and
CeCe Isenberg (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) each registered three blocks. Brown also led the team in assists with 29, while
Elianna Freeman (Jersey Village, TX/Jersey Village) led the team in digs with 11, along with nine from Richardson.
West Chester hit north of .350 in each of the first two sets (.355 and .353) and just .118 in the third set, but still managed to hit .273 for the match, while Dominican hit just -0.043.
West Chester jumped out to a 16-9 lead to open the first set, which prompted a Dominican timeout in an attempt to halt the Golden Rams' momentum. West Chester closed out the first set with a 25-16 victory, finishing it off on an ace by
Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove).
The second set was back-and-forth early before West Chester went on a 9-4 run to take a 14-8 lead and later used a 9-2 run to take a commanding 20-10 lead over Dominican late in the second set.
CeCe Isenberg (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) got an important kill late in the set to get the Golden Rams to 24-15 before the Golden Rams closed out the set with a 2-0 victory.
West Chester jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set before Dominican countered and held a slim lead for much of the early going. The set was tied at 13-13 midway through before a 5-0 run by West Chester, which included an ace by Lane and a kill by
Anna Richardson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna), gave the Golden Rams an 18-13 lead. Out of a Dominican timeout, the West Chester run continued with a Richardson kill and another ace by Lane as the Golden Rams stretched the lead to 20-13. Haines got it to match point for West Chester with a kill before a Richardson ace closed out the set by a 25-17 final and lifted West Chester to a 3-0 match victory.
Alexandra De Iasi led Dominican in kills with five, while Layla Shipley posted a team-best 12 assists along with three blocks.
Match Two WCU 3 UCWV 0
Lane led West Chester in kills with eight while Haines and Brown had seven kills each to help lead West Chester to the 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-22) victory over Charleston (W.V.) (3-1) on Saturday afternoon.
West Chester got out to an early lead in the first set, but things stayed close through the early going of the set as the Golden Rams held a slim 15-13 lead midway through. West Chester called a timeout to slow a Charleston run and had a 20-16 lead late in the first set, prompting a Charleston timeout after a Brown kill. West Chester continued to hold a narrow lead, leading 24-22 late in the set when Charleston took its final timeout of the set. Lane closed out the set with a kill to give West Chester a 25-23 first victory and make the Golden Rams the first team of the weekend to take a set from the Golden Eagles.
West Chester took a 13-8 lead to open the second set and forced an early Charleston timeout in an attempt to halt the Golden Ram momentum. West Chester continued to lead as the second set rolled on, but back-to-back Charleston points cut the lead to 19-15 and forced the first Golden Ram timeout of the set. Back-to-back kills by
Julia Kwitchoff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) and Isenberg, combined with a block by Isenberg and Richardson, gave West Chester a 22-15 lead late. The Golden Rams closed out the second set victory with a block by Isenberg and Haines to win the set by a 25-19 final and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was close throughout the early going before West Chester went on a 4-0 run to take a 13-9 lead midway through the frame. The Golden Rams stretched their lead to 17-11 before the Golden Eagles went on a modest run of their own to cut the lead to 18-15, forcing a West Chester timeout. The timeout was effective as Kwitchoff halted the run with a kill, but Charleston was able to battle its way back into the set, tying the score at 22-22. A pair of Charleston errors helped West Chester get to match point at 24-22 before closing out the match with a 25-22 victory.
Brown and Isenberg tied for the team lead in blocks, while
Megan St. Jean (Eaton, Co./Eaton), Bria Stepp (Cranberry Twp, Pa./Seneca Valley), and Richardson all turned in two aces each. Brown led the team in assists with 23, while Freeman led the team in digs with 13, along with 11 from Richardson.
Emma Antigua led Charleston in kills and aces with 15 and four, while Abby Avila turned in a team-best 28 assists, along with 15 digs from Chloe Fortner in the setback.
West Chester hit .220 in the victory, including .333 in the first set, while Charleston hit just .154, including a -0.057 effort in the second set.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday night opposite Chestnut Hill, beginning at 6 p.m.
