By The Keystone Newspaper Lady Bears defeat Caldwell, Bowie State; lose to Cal U (PA)
By Alice Frank
KU’s women’s volleyball team held its annual Shannon Sullivan Memorial Tournament on Sept. 12 and 13 in Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears hosted three teams, including the Bulldogs of Bowie State University, the Vulcans of California University of Pennsylvania and the Cougars of Caldwell University.
KU opened day one of the tournament with a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs. KU took off in the first set with a 6-0 run, finishing with a 25-14 victory. However, the Bulldogs responded in the second set with a back-and-forth until they pulled ahead to win 20-25. KU fought back in the third and fourth set, taking both sets 25-17 and 25-7.
Photo Credit: Erica Arcentales
KU’s Women’s Volleyball held its first match on day two of the tournament, resulting in a 0-3 loss against California University. KU held their own in the first set, losing only by two points, 23-25, but the Vulcans rallied to take the second set, 19-25 and third set, 16-25.
The Golden Bears Head Coach, Jason Barshinger, who is in his first season at KU, was satisfied with the team’s performance. “I thought we played well and learned more about ourselves in the loss to California,” he said.
Unshaken by the 3-set loss to California University, KU finished the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Caldwell. The team rolled over the Cougars in a quick three-set match (25-16, 25-8, and 25-22).
“I’m proud we were able to pick up the other two wins and go 2-1 on the weekend. It’s keeping our momentum moving forward,” Barshinger said.
Following the weekend’s matches, an individual player found herself climbing the PSAC East Conference rankings.
Junior Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist, Paige Skinner, finished the weekend with a whopping 46 kills, placing her second in the conference in kills per set (4.06) and first in points per set (5.35).
“I am very proud of the direction the team is going in. Coming into KU, I saw so much potential in every player, and it really showed this weekend,” Skinner said.
The Golden Bears will travel to Buffalo, N.Y. on Sept. 19 for a weekend-long tournament at D’Youville University.