Oct. 3, 2009
Final Stats
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Late-set runs throughout the match helped the Bucknell volleyball team to a three-set sweep of Navy, Saturday afternoon at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis. The Bison defeated the Mids by scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-21.
The opening set between the teams saw the score tied 15 times and nine lead changes. The score was tied at 21-21 when Navy's Abbie Merkl (Sr., Upper Marlboro, Md.) was whistled for a ball-handling error. A service ace by Kaitlin Segal gave Bucknell a 23-21 lead, then Jackie Landis and Ragin Jackson teamed for a block of Navy's Krista Eschelman (Sr., Germantown, Md.). That took the Bison to set point, which they promptly converted when Segal dropped in another ace.
The second set ended up being tied at 10 different points, with what would prove to be the last tie coming at 20-20. Landis knocked down a kill to break the lead, then Heidi Kamp blocked Eschelman. A Navy attack error, a kill by Kamp and another Navy attack error ended the set and gave Bucknell a 2-0 lead in sets.
Bucknell slowly built a 17-11 lead in the third set before the Mids started a late rally. Navy would close to within two points at 23-21, but a kill by Allison Gittings and a block by the tandem of Anne Ellenberger and Jackson on Meghan Carpenter (So., Frederick, Md.) ended the match.
"We played very well in the first two sets until late," said Schwob. "In close matches one point means so much and we allowed Bucknell to string together several points which is too difficult to overcome. We stopped executing the way we did over the majority of the set. We have to play cleaner volleyball late in sets. Then, we were trying too hard at the start of the third set, but once we found our rhythm we played well. It was just too deep of a hole to dig out of."
Though Navy (5-13, 1-3 Patriot League) totaled 36 kills to Bucknell's 30, the Bison (6-10, 2-2) held a .172-.140 advantage in hitting percentage over the Mids. Navy also hauled in 43 digs to 31 for Bucknell, but the Bison totaled nine aces to Navy's three and 11 blocks to 7 for the Mids.
Carpenter led all players in the match with 11 kills, while Maida Kalic' (Sr., Vernon, N.Y.) tallied a Navy-best four blocks. Meanwhile, Navy setter Jenny Rudewicz (Jr., Winter Garden, Fla.) distributed 28 assists and grabbed a team-high 10 digs.
Kamp tallied a Bucknell-high seven kills while notching a .467 attack percentage.
Navy will return to action Friday, October 9 when the Mids play host to American.
