Wilkes Women's Volleyball Drops Hard-Fought Road Contest to PSU-Altoona
ALTOONA, PA – The Wilkes University Colonels traveled to PSU-Altoona for a weeknight non-conference match with the Nittany Lions.
The Colonels (4-3) dropped their second straight match and third of four to PSU-Altoona (2-1) 3-1 (16-25, 25-19, 18-25, 21-25).
The Navy and Gold found themselves in an early 9-1 hole in the first set, but a 9-2 rally by the Colonels put them within striking distance at 11-10. PSU-Altoona answered with an 8-2 run to put the set effectively out of reach from the Colonels and took the set in 25-16 fashion. After taking advantage of a series of PSU-Altoona errors, the Colonels started the second set with an 8-1 run. The Nittany Lions would never close within closer than four to the Navy and Gold, allowing the Colonels to tie up the match at 1-1.
An early 5-0 run gave the Colonels a 7-4 lead in the third set, though a 5-2 Nittany Lion run would erase the advantage and tie the set. PSU-Altoona caught fire in the middle of the set, going on an 11-1 tear with only two of the points being off of Colonel errors. The Navy and Gold would never dig out of their hole and fell 25-18 in the third set to go down in the match. The squads traded three- and four-point rallies in the early going of the fourth set, with the Colonels taking a 13-10 lead after a 6-1 run. A 6-2 Nittany Lion run gave them the lead back at 16-15. The Colonels would soon take a one-point lead, but another 6-2 Nittany Lion run put them ahead 23-19, a deficit the Navy and Gold would be unable to overcome.
First year setter
Jaclyn Rawa (West Chester, PA/Henderson) led the Colonels in assists (13) and digs (14). First year outside hitter
Alexis Reedy (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra Area) had a team-high nine kills and three aces. Sophomore middle hitter
Nicole Fitzpatrick (Newhampton, NY/Minisink Valley) led the squad with four blocks, while Reedy also had a three.
The Colonels look to break their losing streak with a quick trip back to the Marts Center Thursday to host Cairn University at 7:00 p.m. The Colonels and Highlanders have only met once in the live stats era, a 3-0 Navy and Gold victory back in 2015 at home.
