ST. DAVIDS, PA. (September 24, 2008) – The 24th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team dropped its fourth match of the season to undefeated Eastern University Wednesday night in St. Davids, Pa. The Ducks had trouble returning the ball as the Eagles used solid serving and great defense to earn their 13th win of the season. Stevens is now 9-4 on the year as they prepare to return to Empire 8 play this weekend.
After dropping the first point of the match, the Eagles used the energy of the near capacity home crowd to reel off seven straight points to seize momentum of the first game. The Ducks cut the lead to 16-13 before freshman Courtney Reinhold (Adamstown, Pa.) helped Eastern escape a tough rotation with a booming back row kill.
Reinhold broke open a 13-13 tie in the second game after she landed a pair of kills. Freshman libero Nikki Kummerer (Reading, Pa.) posted an ace, which increased the lead as Eastern pulled away to a 25-15 second-game win.
Things got interesting in the third game. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Byrne almost single-handedly willed Stevens back into the match with a flurry of activity to start the game. The sophomore standout banged home seven kills and a big block to lift the Ducks to a 22-14 lead. With Byrne in the back, the Eagles clawed their way back into the game before falling 25-20.
Eastern closed out the match with a solid 25-18 Game 4 win. The Eagles jumped to an early 6-2 lead on a great hit out of system from freshman middle blocker Mary Poole (Lancaster, Pa.) and never trailed. After Eastern opened a 5 point advantage at 8-3 on two Reinhold kills, the Ducks again chipped away at the lead to cut the advantage to 10-8. Senior middle blocker Mandy Platt (Lebanon, Pa.) notched a kill to spark a five-point run which would give the Eagles their final margin of victory.
The Ducks were led by Byrne, who tallied 13 kills and 16 digs. Senior setter Melissa Rhode dished for 17 assists and added three service aces. Senior outside hitter Melanie Volk and sophomore right-side hitter Maggie Majcher both posted seven kills as Volk finished with seven digs, while Majcher chipped in with four blocks. Sophomore setter Sara Budar connected on 12 assists and lofted four digs. Senior middle blocker Jessica Gardner registered three kills and three blocks as sophomore libero Brittany Conroy led the Ducks defensively with 19 digs.
Stevens will host the first weekend of the Empire 8 crossover as matches are scheduled for Friday through Sunday. The Ducks first match will be on Saturday when they face Rochester Institute of Technology at noon.
