Wilkes Women's Volleyball Drops Both Tri-Match Games
MONTCLAIR, NJ – The Wilkes University women's volleyball team suffer two losses in tri-match games against Montclair State University (25-21, 25-22, 25-17) and Baruch College (26-24, 25-17, 25-20).
Wilkes drops both games as they go to 1-4 on the season.
The first set between Wilkes and Montclair State saw both teams trading points early on, with the match never showing more than a four-point differential between the Colonels and the Red Hawks. Alexis Reedy (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra Area) helped with a kill near the end of the first set to get Wilkes behind Montclair State 21-20. The Red Hawks would put their foot on the gas as they would take the set, scoring four of the last five points to beat the Colonels 25-21.
The second set saw similar back and forth play by both teams, with a bad serve saw the game tied at 10-10. The Colonels would go on a 9-5 run that would see both Reedy and Nicole Fitzpatrick (New Hampton, NY/Minisink Valley) get two kills during that stretch before Montclair State called a timeout. After giving up an attack error point to Wilkes, the Red Hawks went on a 10-2 run to take the second set 25-22.
The third set saw the Red Hawks start off hot as they brought the match to Wilkes, going on a 14-5 run. The Colonels did not lose their composure, as a few errors by Montclair State, along with kills from Reedy, Fitzpatrick, and Sierra Hines (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer) to help Wilkes be down by only one point and make the game 18-17. The Red Hawks would finish the set as fast and hot as they began, going on a 7-0 run to take the final set 25-17 and close the match against Wilkes.
Reedy lead the Colonels with 10 kills in the first game, with Fitzpatrick and Hope Ousey (Exton, PA/Henderson) both following behind her with six each. Fitzpatrick led the charge in digs with nine, with Reedy and Emily Gentzel (Yaphank, NY/Bellport) getting eight and seven respectively. Alexa Cassel (Mount Joy, PA/Lower Dauphin) recorded 19 assists in the first game, while Ousey and Hines each had a block.
The second game against Baruch seemed to keep the competitive spirit from the first series, as both teams would be even early on in the game. The Colonels started to pick up traction, as Reedy and Emily Lass (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) would both get a kill on a 6-1 run to give Wilkes a 15-9 lead. The Bearcats would not stay down for long, as they slowly chipped away at the lead until the set was tied at 24-24. Baruch would finish the set with a kill and receive an attack error to take the first set 26-24.
The Colonels would go up 6-4 in the beginning of the second set, with Fitzpatrick and Ousey getting kills during that run. The Bearcats would then shift into second gear, going on a 14-2 run and make Wilkes use both timeouts as Baruch would go up 18-8. The Colonels would try and make a comeback, capitalizing on mistakes from the Bearcats and plays from Fitzpatrick and serving aces from Gentzel to make the set 24-17 before Baruch got the last point on a kill and took the second set.
The third set saw the Colonels once more battle back and forth, holding an edge over Baruch 9-6 before the Bearcats went on a 10-1 run to have a firm lead 16-10. Ali Yordy (Fairfield, PA/Fairfield Area) gets three serving aces as the Colonels make a comeback and are down one point to Baruch 19-18. That opportunity would not be enough as Baruch would finish the set on a 6-2 run and take the third set and game 25-20
Ousey led the team with 10 kills, while tying in first with Hines and Allison Murie (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) in blocks, each player recording two apiece. Ali Yordy (Fairfield, PA/Fairfield Area) had 14 digs in the series, with Gentzel following her with 12. Cassel had 20 assists to finish the three-set match.
Wilkes returns home to Marts Center on Tuesday as they compete in Middle Atlantic Conference action when they go against FDU-Florham at 7:00 p.m.
