The Golden Bears (21-10 overall) said goodbye to Keystone Arena after their 3-1 quarterfinal win over Shippensburg Tuesday night, as it would be their last match at home this season. Lindsay Confer led Kutztown with 12 kills while Jamie Celia had 20 digs on defense.
Clarion (27-4) will host its first ‘Final Four’ in school history this weekend, as it is the top remaining seed in the West. Joining Clarion and KU will be Edinboro and Lock Haven, as they each won their opening round match and will play on Friday beginning at 5:00 p.m. for a spot in the PSAC championship game.
Tickets to the PSAC quarterfinal will be sold at the gym. Prices are $7 for adults and $2 for students/children. Free admission is available to students from PSAC member institutions with a valid school identification card. Conference passes will be accepted. No complimentary tickets are available.
“To be able to coach this team for at least another three days is a great feeling,” Kutztown head volleyball coach John Gump said after KU’s quarterfinal victory over Shippensburg. “It’s nice to see the hard work the team put in during the off-season pay off. Anytime you’re still playing at this point in the season is a good thing.”
Friday’s match will be KU’s first semifinal game since 2006 when Kutztown won a remarkable 24 games. The 2010 Golden Bears, however, will take one step at a time in eye of their 22nd victory of the season Friday night.
Kutztown dropped a 3-1 decision to Clarion earlier this year during a four game road trip of PSAC Crossover matches. Kutztown saw contributions on both the offensive and defensive end in its game against Clarion. Confer led the team with 12 kills, Kimberlee Gomber had 17 assists, Lindsey Smith had 18 digs, and Katie Lutz had five blocks.
Kutztown is 4-10 against the Golden Eagles all-time.
Confer has had a terrific senior season for Kutztown as she has amounted 244 kills. Confer also became the sixth player in school history to surpassed 1,000 kills for her career. KU will be counting on Confer to continue her strong play in efforts of getting Kutztown to the PSAC championship.
Along with Confer on the frontline are Cait Hess, Erin Kissling, and Cali Snell. All three girls have over 200 kills this season and have only stepped up their game late in the season.
This is Hess’s first full season with Kutztown as she sat out last year due to transferring schools. She currently ranks second on the team in kills with 223. Hess’s 6-1 frame has also given KU setters Dana Wright and Gomber an easy target on the offensive end. The tandem of Wright and Gomber has 963 of Kutztown’s 1,095 assists.
Kissling has continued to improve her game throughout the year, which has earned her an everyday spot in the starting lineup. Kissling also gives Kutztown an extra body on defense, as she has 245 digs this season ranking her second on the team.
Clarion is led by Kellie Bartman who has 368 kills this season. Setting up the Clarion frontline will be setter Amanda Gough who has 927 assists. In their victory over Gannon, the Golden Eagles got a fantastic night from Bartman who had 13 kills and 11 digs while hitting .444. Kaitlyn Anderson added nine kills and eight digs, Corinne Manley had eight kills and Rebecca Webb seven kill and three blocks while hitting .500 (7-0-14).
Gough set up the offense with 33 set assists while adding 10 digs and five kills, and Rhianon Brady had 20 digs. The Clarion defense held Gannon (20-9) to under .100 hitting (.084)
The winner of the PSAC semifinal matches will play on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for the PSAC championship.
http://www.kubears.com
No comments:
Post a Comment