SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team closed out its season opening tournament with another 1-1 afternoon, first coming back to defeat Kutztown, 3-1, before falling to host Shippensburg, 3-1, in the nightcap on Saturday.
Set scores for the match against Kutztown were (20-25, 25-12, 25-22, and 25-5).
Set scores for the match against Shippensburg were (13-25, 25-15, 10-25, and 19-25).
The comeback against the Golden Bears started in the second set, as the Wildcats (2-2) got off to a great start in the game. The Wildcats opened with scoring seven of the first 10 points, but needed to break an 8-8 tie as Kutztown battled back. A string of seven consecutive points swung the momentum in the Wildcats' favor, as they took a commanding 20-10 lead.
Another late run in the third set allowed the Wildcats to come back and take the lead in the match. Once down 17-14, the Wildcats rattled off six straight points and nine of 10 to take a 22-18 lead. Allison Briley finished off the set with a kill from Miranda Shaw.
The fourth set was all Wilmington, as the Wildcats opened up with a 6-0 lead. Another 8-0 run gave the Wildcats a 16-3 lead before the team scored the final five points to take the set, 25-5, and the match, 3-1.
Alex Siolos again led the Wildcats offensively, putting down 18 terminations while hitting .326 for the match. The senior added a double-double with 12 digs as well. Briley finished with 14 kills in the first match of the day, hitting .333 against Kutztown. Shaw passed out 47 assists in the match while senior Shelby Henderson led the team with 23 digs.
In the nightcap, the Wildcats got off to a strong start in the second set, scoring seven of the first 10 points before pulling away late. The Wildcats scored six of the final seven points to finish the set, 25-15, and tie the match at 1-1.
The third set was all Shippensburg, as the Raiders scored 12 straight points to take a commanding 17-4 lead before moving on for the 25-10 set victory.
The Wildcats came back to take a lead as late as 17-16 in the fourth set, but then the Raiders went on another lengthy run, scoring the next seven points to jump ahead 23-17. The teams traded points until the Raiders finished off the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
Briley led the team with nine kills while Kaitlin DiGiacinto, Erin Bistany, and Siolos each added six. Shaw dished out 25 assists in the nightcap while Henderson added 23 more digs to the stat sheet. DiGiacinto added 14 digs against Shippensburg while Eile Harris led the way with four block assists.
The Wildcats have five days off before their next match, which also happens to be their home opener, on Friday, September 11. The Wildcats will host the Wildcat Regional Invitational starting on Friday, first playing against American International at 1:00 p.m.