Millersville University
9-19,3-11PSAC
Bloomsburg
9-18,5-9PSAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg | 21 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 3 |
| Millersville | 25 | 25 | 17 | 23 | 17 | 2 |
Volleyball downed by Bloomsburg in final match of the season
11/11/2023 9:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville volleyball hosted the Bloomsburg Huskies in their final match of the season. After being eliminated from PSAC East playoff contention by Lock Haven the night before, the Marauders put up one of their best efforts of the campaign, falling in five sets to the Huskies. Despite the loss, Millersville head coach Brian Smith was proud of the effort.
"I was proud of the way the team came back in set four and played well, it went down to the wire," Smith said after the match.
The Marauders took a 10-7 lead in the first set after the teams traded points early. Paige Horst's service ace capped off a lengthy Millersville run to give them an 18-11 lead. The Huskies slowly made inroads into the Marauder advantage and cut it to three at 21-18. Millersville didn't let the visitors get any closer after that point and took the set 25-21.
After battling back and for the first few points in the second set, the Marauders fell behind 12-6. Their three-point scoring spurt cut that to three and caused Bloomsburg to call their first timeout. The hosts were unfazed by that decision as they extended the run to seven after another Horst service ace knotted it up at 12. From then on out it was a back-and-forth affair until Brian Smith used one of his stoppages at 19-all. From then on out, they outscored the visitors 6-2 to take the game and the two-set advantage.
After finding themselves even with the visitors throughout the beginning of the crucial third set, the Marauders induced a Husky timeout with a two-point edge at 8-6. Madison Williams started the third set and made her mark with the score tied at 10, giving the 'Ville the lead with a vicious spike. Bloomsburg responded with an 8-0 run and went on to win the set 25-17.
Millersville's three-point advantage up 8-5 was the first major advantage of the next set, but it quickly evaporated as Bloomsburg evened the score at 9-9. The Marauders claimed their second three-point lead via a kill from Sam White (14-11). The hosts then extended their lead to four at 15-11 and 17-13 before allowing Bloomsburg to come back and take the lead (21-20). Smith called a timeout in order to halt the Huskies' four-point run but the visitors took the set.
In the final set of the season, the teams battled neck and neck like they had the prior four sets. The Marauders were up 8-7 at the switch and an Emma Kerwin kill put them up by two at 9-7. They were up 11-7 but a responding five-point Husky spurt gave the visitors the one-point advantage. Taylor Welter stepped up in the big moment and ripped a hit off of a Husky to knot the set at 12 before giving the 'Ville the lead with another putaway. Bloomsburg answered right back and sent the final set into overtime. A Husky block gave them an 18-17 advantage and the visitors capitalized on that to take the match 3-2.
GAME NOTES
- The all-time series record between Millersville and Bloomsburg goes to 4-4 after the loss.
- The Marauders' conference record for the season ends at 3-11 after the match. Bloomsburg improves to 5-9 to tie with Lock Haven for fourth in the PSAC East.
- The final season record for the Marauders ends at 9-19.
- Three different Marauders recorded 15 or more kills in the match. Emma Kerwin led the team with 19, Taylor Welter recorded 18 and Alex Nava finished with 15. All three hit .200 or better as well.
- Emma Ludwig recorded a season-high 50 assists in addition to pacing Millersville in digs with 24.
- On the match: "We were right there at the end. We had set point several times and just didn't finish it. Obviously, we were hopeful that we would end on a win. But we also talked about going out there and playing a competitive match and trying to enjoy it. So, outside of not getting the win, it was definitely a competitive match and there was good volleyball that was played. We just have to regroup and get back to work in the spring and get better as a team."
- His main takeaway from the season: "I think the takeaway is that this season could turn out to be a really good thing for us down the line. That's because we have so many young players. Usually, they come in and need development so they're not playing that much that. You do get the development in the spring, but they don't have the opportunity to compete in the PSAC. (Our players have) seen what it's like and they know where they need to go. I think that that's going to help them come in and do a good job of focusing on the training and getting better as players."
