Millersville, Pa. – Millersville women's volleyball was looking for a big win over visiting Kutztown Friday evening. It would have given the seniors a win on Senior Night, and it would have brought the Marauders closer to the PSAC East rival it is looking up at in the standings heading into the final stretch of the season. The Golden Bears, however, had other plans, crashing Millersville's party with a 3-1 victory over the Marauders on Friday night.
The loss dropped Millersville's record to 14-15 (6-9 PSAC East), but the Marauders gave the 20-6 (9-5 PSAC East) Golden Bears all they could handle for four sets. The match was tied at one after the second set, with Kutztown winning set one by a 25-22 score and Millersville taking the second set 25-21 by hitting .371.
The third set was where the match turned in Kutztown's favor as it defeated the Marauders 25-19 in that set, holding Millersville to a -.053 hitting percentage. The Marauders were on the verge of taking the fourth set and sending the match to a tie-breaking fifth set. With Millersville holding a 22-19 lead, Kutztown rallied late to finish off Millersville, 25-23.
Allison Huss, one of three seniors being honored on the night, led Millersville with 15 kills in a match that saw three players hit double figures in that category. Huss also added nine digs to her season-high in kills. Mary Paul and Katie Lesinski each finished with 10 kills and Brittany Lease, another senior, finished with eight kills to help out Huss and a Marauder attack that hit .142 overall. Paul hit .269, adding four service aces, four digs and two block-assists.
Katie Pisano was responsible for sparking the Millersville attack Friday night and did so to the tune of a match-high 46 assists. Those 46 helpers were part of a double-double, as Pisano also dug out 12 hits. Sue Caramanico added a match-high 30 digs on the defensive end.
The Marauders have a quick turnaround. They welcome another PSAC East foe, West Chester, to Pucillo tomorrow at 1 p.m. That match is the first of a doubleheader for Millersville, which plays Chowan University in the second end of the doubleheader, with that match slated to start for 3:30 p.m. The team will wear pink uniforms tomorrow to support the “Dig Pink” initiative to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness.
