Volleyball Off to Best Start in 17 Years, Extends Win Streak to Eight
Sept. 22, 2007
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women’s volleyball team extended its winning streak to eight consecutive matches Saturday with two more victories at the East Stroudsburg Tournament. The Lady Raiders finished the weekend with a 4-0 record at the tournament and sophomore Kali Antolik (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) was named to the All-Tournament team.
Shippensburg (16-4) is off to its best start in 17 years. In the 1990 season, the Lady Raiders started the year 20-4 under the direction of Mike Shatzer, ultimately losing in the finals of the PSAC Tournament that season to Edinboro.
Now guided by fourth-year head coach Leanne Piscotty, Shippensburg has only dropped 13 of its 72 games this season and has recorded a winning percentage of .800 after 20 matches.
On Saturday, Shippensburg opened its competition in the morning with a 3-1 victory over Tiffin by game scores of 30-18, 24-30, 30-17 and 30-21. The Lady Raiders responded in the afternoon with a 3-0 defeat of the University of Bridgeport by game scores of 30-20, 30-16 and 30-18.
In Saturday’s opener against Tiffin, red-shirt sophomore Brittany Roche (Morrisville/Pennsbury) recorded 11 kills with just three errors to go along with two solo blocks and three block assists. Sophomore Cindel Young (McConnellsburg/Broadfoarding Christian) added eight kills, one solo block and five block assists.
In the nightcap against Bridgeport, sophomore Missy Ramp (York/Central York) delivered nine digs while Antolik contributed 11 kills without an error. For the weekend, Antolik finished with 48 kills over four games while just recording four errors, compiling a hitting percentage of .846.
On Friday, the Lady Raiders recorded a win in four matches over Bryant by scores of 30-25, 30-21, 20-30 and 30-25, and dominated Caldwell in the second match by scores of 30-13, 30-14 and 30-19.
In the opener against Bryant, Antolik had her strongest game of the weekend, totaling a career-high 18 kills with just one hitting error to go along with a solo block and 10 block assists. Roche totaled 11 kills, while sophomore Hannah Sorber (Noxen/Lake-Lehman) continued her strong play with five kills.
Also against Bryant, junior Maureen DuVall (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) nearly matched her season-high with 47 assists, while junior Kelsi Hoffman (York/West York) led the defense with 10 digs. DuVall finished the weekend with 160 assists, an average of 40 per match.
In the Friday nightcap against Caldwell, Shippensburg was led with nine kills each from Antolik and Young. Junior Karey Toms (Waynesboro/Waynesboro) added seven kills, while sophomore Colleen Toomey (Reading/Muhlenberg) had five kills.
Shippensburg returns to action Tuesday in a home match against Kutztown in a battle for first place in the Eastern Division of the PSAC. Both teams are atop the division with 3-0 conference records. Game time from Heiges Field House is set for 7:00 PM.
- Lady Raider Volleyball -
