By Natalie Keller
Contributing Writer
On Sept. 12, ESU’s Women’s Volleyball team took four sets to defeat Delaware’s Goldey-Beacom College in a non-conference game. The scores were 25-19, 25-16, 23-25 and 25-23.
Not only was it their home opener, but it was also the team’s first time competitively playing in the newly redesigned Koehler Fieldhouse alongside their new head coach, Kevin Rodgers.
After creating a new logo and slogan for ESU in the spring of 2017, ESU made visual design changes over the summer where they saw fit.
As the Warriors prepared for the first set to start, their energetic vibes were literally filling the stands. Though Goldey-Beacom is not considered one of the Warriors’ top rivals, it is always a good matchup come game night between the two teams.
Senior outside hitter Maddie Reichard stated, “Before our game started when we were warming up, we saw their starting setter get hurt, and she couldn’t play. So the film we watched was going to be different from the expected game tonight.”
With the first set underway, the Warriors quickly trailed Goldey-Beacom 1-3.
After about 15 minutes of play, the Warriors surged ahead 13-12 for their first lead of the set.
The Warriors must have found their groove after that because they didn’t let up. After hard play, good communication skills and taking advantage of Goldey-Beacom’s mistakes, the Warriors came back and finished strong.
ESU took the first set 25-19.
After a two-minute interval, the second set was underway. Contrary to the first set, ESU blew open the second set and led Goldey-Beacom 9-2 after just eight minutes of play.
As the Warriors dominated the court, the Koehler Krazies could feel their energy scattering through the crowd.
The Warriors built a 22-13 lead, and ultimately won the second set 25-16.
With a 10-minute interval between the second and third sets, fans were invited to participate in a contest to win T-shirts with the new ESU Warriors logo printed on them. Although no one completed the task successfully, the T-shirts were thrown out to the Koehler Krazies sitting in the stands.
With the third set underway, the Warriors held a commanding two-set lead and were hoping to sweep Goldey-Beacom in three sets. Some of the non-starters were in the rotation and saw more playing time during the third set.
When senior outside hitter Desiree Claxton tied the set at five, she scored her 1000th point in her ESU volleyball career.
The play went back-and-forth after that, but Goldey-Beacom emerged with a 16-12 lead.
The Warriors rallied, and Goldey-Beacom only held a slim one-point lead at 22-21. But Goldey-Beacom would hang on to take the third set 25-23.
The fourth set would be competitive, but the Warriors closed out Goldey-Beacom 25-23 to win the match and improve their overall record to 5-2.
Reichard stated, “It felt great to not only win the game overall, but to also win our home opener in our new fieldhouse. Hopefully, tonight’s win gives us more drive and determination to continue success in our new home.”
The volleyball team has won their next three matches to improve their record to 8-2.
The Warriors (8-2) will host IUP (9-3) in front of the Koehler Krazies in their home PSAC opener tomorrow night.
Email Natalie at:
nkeller3@live.esu.edu
