The West Chester University women’s volleyball team fell below .500 for the first time this season after losing four out of five road games this past week. After what was an extremely succesful start to the season, the Lady Rams are beginning to experience a downfall.
The first match of the week was against out of conference opponent Holy Family University, where the Lady Rams fell three sets to one (25-15, 7-25, 16-25, 22-25) after blowing the early match lead. The Rams claimed the first set but lost the momentum very quickly in the second set losing 12 of the first 13 points of the set. Junior, Julia O’Brien, led the team’s offense with 11 kills and a stunning six blocks in the loss. One of the encouraging aspects of the match was the continued progress of Samantha Agostini as the starting setter in place of the injured Annalee Halbert and led the team with 29 assists.
The weekend consisted of four matches against PSAC West Division opponents losing three out of four. The first match of Friday’s double-header was a three sets to one (15-25, 13-25, 27-25, 24-26) loss against Seton Hill University. The Golden Rams tried to mount a comeback in third set but ultimately fell short in extra points during the fourth set. Marina Sharkey led the team with 14 kills as well as adding three blocks. Callie Krajcir led the teams defense with 18 defensive digs.
In the second half of the double-header, WCU took on California University of Pennsylvania where they once again sustained a loss three sets to one (10-25, 25-17, 23-25, 11-25). Sharkey continued to produce offence, leading the team for the second strait match in a row in kills with 11. Mandy Flynn stepped up to lead the team in assists with 19 while Agostini added another 16.
The Lady Rams’ one victory of the week was a three set match sweep (27-25, 26-24, 25-18) of Indiana University of Pennsylvania in what was a back and fourth affair with 11 different lead changes during the first half of Saturday’s double-header. The offense saw a significant boost while Allison Grammer and O’Brien led the team with 11 kills each while Sharkey added another nine of her own.
The afternoon match saw WCU’s play take a complete opposite turn for the worse when they were swept by Clarion University three sets to none (25-17, 25-14, 25-14). The Lady Rams fell below .500 for the first time of the season with the loss to Clarion and now sit in sixth place in the PSAC East Division. The West Chester University women’s volleyball team will have a chance to move back above .500 and rise in the standings next weekend with two home matches, one Friday against Kutztown University and the second on Saturday against East Stroudsburg University. These are crucial games for not only the Lady Ram’s record, but for the team’s morale as well. If they want to get back to their winning ways, it must start with their next few games. Look for the Lady Rams to rebound in a major way.
Stephen Gallo is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at SG 749536@wcupa.edu
Thu. Apr 25th, 2024
