KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Millersville University women's volleyball team falls just short in the second set, missing the chance to force extra sets against the Kutztown University Golden Bears. Set scores were 25-14, 25-21, and 25-15.
 
Millersville (4-11, 0-3) tallied 33 points on 25 kills, two aces, six blocks, 24 assists, and 33 digs. Kutztown (8-7, 1-1) out-hit the Marauders with a .194 hitting percentage. Taylor Welter, Alex Nava, and Caroline Halsey led the Marauders' offense, while Hailey Lazur and Amanda Protzman anchored the defense at the net with strong blocking performances.
 
The Marauders fell behind early in the first set, trailing the Golden Bears by as many as nine points. Welter and Becca Hartranft worked to keep the deficit in check, while Protzman disrupted Kutztown's scoring runs. Despite their efforts, Millersville's defense couldn't hold, and the Marauders dropped the opening set.
 
Halsey and the Marauders came out strong in the second set, maintaining a steady two-point lead early on. The action went back and forth with key points from Nava and Welter until Kutztown pulled even at 8-8. Millersville began to play catch-up, staying competitive with kills from Lazur and Marin Esch. Trailing 22-15, the Marauders mounted a late push with a 5-1 scoring run to close the gap to three. However, a few costly errors down the stretch allowed the Golden Bears to close out the set.
 
Millersville held strong at the start of the third set, never trailing by more than one point. With the score tied at five, Kutztown found their rhythm and went on a 5-3 scoring run. A series of Marauder errors widened the gap, pushing their deficit to seven. Halsey and Protzman provided a spark on defense with some timely blocks, but it wasn't enough, as Millersville ultimately dropped the third set.
 
The Marauders return to action on Thursday, Oct. 9, as they travel to face the Wilmington Wildcats, gearing up for a five-game home stretch in PSAC competition.