Volleyball Spiked in Back-To-Back Games

By John Reed
Copy Editor

Senior outside hitter Abby Welch and freshman outside hitter Desiree Claxton led the Warriors (6-19, 2-14) with eight and six kills each, but ESU fell to Pitt-Johnstown in consecutive sets on Friday, October 24.

Pitt-Johnstown (12-11, 8-8) bounced back from a tough non-conference matchup earlier in the week against Point Park University in Pittsburgh to put a strangle hold on the Warriors.

Despite leading the team offensively, Welch and Claxton combined to hit only .220 for the match.

With ESU’s two outside hitters needing support, the team united to collect an overall hit percentage of .000—with only four kills scattered over twelve players.

The Mountain Cats are the defending PSAC champions, and they looked like it for the majority of the match as they won by set scores of 25-21, 25-16, and 25-12.

In stark contrast to the Warriors offensive woes, Pitt-Johnstown put on an efficient display of their offensive prowess. Each set found the Mountain Cats accumulating a higher hit percentage and as the hits increased so too did the score differential.

Senior Annabelle Charlton chipped in with 11 assists and junior Maddie Hutchison led all players with 14 digs.

With less than a 24-hour turn around between matches, the Warriors again took to the court to attempt to defend their home turf against the Lock Haven Eagles.

ESU entered the matchup riding an eight-game losing streak that dates back to early October. The Warriors were looking for some signs of life during Alumni Day and hoped the Eagles (16-9, 10-7) could be easy prey.

Desiree Claxton and Abby Welch again led the Warriors with eight and six kills respectively, but did so through taking a combined 62 hits.

Annabelle Charlton was the lone bright spot for ESU as she put together a great individual effort. Charlton posted eight kills, 12 assists, and 10 digs.

The match didn’t start well as the Warriors fell in the first set with a double-digit loss to the tune of 25-14. Despite the rough start, ESU looked to be turning it around in the second set.

Neither team was too impressive in the second set as both squads combined to hit .050. The Eagles outlasted ESU as they struggled to win the set with a score of 25-23.

The Warriors continued to scratch and claw their way back into this match, but they ultimately fell in the third set. This completed the Eagles sweep of ESU—the sixth sweep suffered by the Warriors during their eight-game losing streak.

The Warriors next home game is on October 31 against the Shippensburg Raiders at 7:00 PM.

Email John at:
jreed18@live.esu.edu