WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Wilkes Colonels women's volleyball squad continued their 2021 season with a pair of tri-matches against the John Jay Bloodhounds and the Montclair State Red Hawks.
 
The Colonels (7-7) got by the Bloodhounds (3-6) with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-21) sweep, before falling in similar fashion to the Redhawks (7-7) 3-0 (15-25, 23-25, 18-25).
 
The Navy and Gold fell behind early to John Jay's hard-hitting squad, ending up down 7-3 out of the gate in the first set.  After the Colonels battled back within two, a 5-1 Bloodhound run put the Colonels in a 15-9 hole.  The Colonels responded with a 9-3 run that featured seven Bloodhound errors to tie up the match.  Junior opposite hitter Kelsey Carroll (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe) stepped up in the final stretch, earning three kills and a block to seal the set for the Colonels.
 
After the Navy and Gold took an 11-6 lead in the second set, the Bloodhounds responded with a 6-1 run to tie up the set at 12 all.  A 7-2 Colonel run following put the set effectively out of reach for John Jay, a run that featured six errors for the Bloodhounds, and another 6-2 Navy and Gold run would close out the set.  The Bloodhounds were the ones to take an early lead in the third set, starting out the set up 8-4.  The Colonels would find their answer, however, with a 7-3 run to pull within 16-15 of the Bloodhounds later in the set.  The teams would exchange rallies and find themselves tied at 20 all, but errors would doom John Jay yet again as a pair of them helped the Colonels to a 6-1 run to close the set and match.
 
Carroll tied with sophomore opposite hitter Hope Ousey (Exton, PA/Henderson) with nine kills in the first match of the day.  Ousey's nine kills were her career high with the Colonels.  Sophomore libero Ali Yordy (Fairfield, PA/Fairfield Area) recorded ten digs, while first year setter Jaclyn Rawa (West Chester, PA/Henderson) had 16 assists.  Meghan Smith recorded 25 assists for the Bloodhounds in the loss, which saw them record 27 errors to the Colonels nine.
 
The Colonels managed little against Montclair State in the first set of their second game, as the Red Hawks jumped out to a 12-7 lead off the back of a 6-1 run.  Another 7-2 run would effectively put the set away in Montclair State's favor as they went on to a 25-15 victory.   The teams would exchange runs early in the second set as the Colonels battled ahead to a 9-7 lead.  A 10-5 span for the Red Hawks would give them a 17-14 lead, but a 7-4 Colonel run with a pair of Ousey kills gave the Colonels a late 21-20 lead.  The Red Hawks would not be denied, as they replied with a 5-2 run to close out a tough 25-23 set.
 
The third set started with both squads exchanging haymakers.  The Navy and Gold went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-4 lead, before the Red Hawks stormed back with an 8-1 run for a 12-11 advantage.  After a 3-0 run by the Colonels, the Red Hawks effectively put the set and match out of reach with an 7-0 run to take a 19-14 lead and went on to win 25-18.
 
Leah Chipman fueled the Red Hawks offense with 32 assists, while Carly Waterman and Leah Higgins posted 14 and 10 kills respectively.  Waterman also contributed 17 digs.  Sophomore middle hitter Nicole Fitzpatrick (Newhampton, NY/Minisink Valley) recorded five blocks to lead both teams.  The blocks were also her career high.  Yordy and Rawa each had a team-leading 11 digs in the second match of the afternoon. 
 
The Colonels return to Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom action to close their four match home stand.  They play the Misericordia Cougars at 7:00 p.m. at the Marts Center.  The Colonels are 6-9 in the live stats era against Misericordia, losing the 2019 matchup 3-1.