This past weekend, the Slippery Rock University volleyball team faced off against East Stroudsburg University, West Chester University, Kutztown University, and Cheyney University in the Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference (PSAC) crossover and went 4-0.
The Rock opened the weekend of play with two victories against East Stroudsburg and West Chester University. The team operated a balanced offensive attack in the first game to overcome a four-set victory over the East Stroudsburg Warriors. The opening set was 25-18 before the Warriors answered with a 25-20 set to tie the match up. SRU took the early lead and held on in order to secure a 25-17 victory in the final set.
Sophomore outside hitter Leah Jones paced the team with nine kills, 10 digs, and three service aces. Senior outside hitter Kristy Lake had a double-double to secure the win.
Later that night, the Rock went on to play West Chester. Jones answered the call with seven kills in the opening set to put SRU in the lead with an opening set match of 25-20. The second set consisted of a 20-20 set. Lake stopped West Chester’s rally in order to put the Rock up 2-0 with a spike to clinch the set at 25-22. SRU then created a lead for themselves in the third set to gain the sweep.
Lake finished the night with a game-high of 13 kills and a .234 attack percentage. She also added 10 digs for her fifth double-double already this fall. Jones recorded 10 kills with a .226 attack percentage and tallied a team-high of 12 digs for her second double-double this season.
Sophomore setter Nicole Fortuna also stepped up to tally a team-best 18 assists, while senior setter Janna Reilly tallied her second double-double of the season with 15 assists and 10 digs.
The second day of play also consisted of a sweep for the Green and White. In the morning, the ladies picked up their second straight pair of victories against Kutztown and Cheyney in the PSAC East-West crossover final.
Jones again tallied a team-high of 13 kills and 20 digs to propel SRU over Kutztown. The Rock overcame Kutztown by set wins of 25-20, 27-25, and 25-22.
Freshman outside hitter Bethany Pike showcased her attack by racking up 10 kills on a .429 attack percentage. Lake also added five blocks in the match.
In the final game against Cheyney, SRU outlasted the Wolves 25-17, while having other set scores at 25-10 and 25-9 to win it all.
Freshman outside hitter Lamija Alisic had a match-leading 10 kills and a pair of service aces, while freshman setter Haley Defibaugh recorded a game-high of 19 assists and five aces.
The Rock is currently 4-0 in PSAC-West play and holds the number one spot in the PSAC-West standings.
“Winning four games in the PSAC has helped our confidence level but there is also the reality of the PSAC schedule, but it gets tougher from here on out,” SRU head coach Laurie Lokash said. “We have threats on the pins and in the middle, and the offense has run a bit faster than in the past.”
The Green and White will begin divisional play against Gannon University on Friday, Sept. 26. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Gannon University.
