Wilkes-Barre, Pa. – Keystone College won a pair of non-conference volleyball matches on Friday in the opening day of the Colonel Clash hosted by Wilkes University. The Giants swept the host Colonels in Friday's opening match before dealing Alfred State College just its third loss of the fall with a five-set win in the nightcap to improve to 16-9 on the season.
Match 1 vs. Wilkes
In Friday's first match against Wilkes (10-17), Keystone posted their second win over the Colonels this fall by winning three competitive sets. The Giants took the early advantage with a 25-21 win in the opening game before claiming a 25-20 victory in set two for the 2-0 lead. Keystone, who defeated Wilkes in four sets on September 10 in La Plume, completed the sweep with a tight, 25-23 decision in the third frame.
Kristen Larkin (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) hit .429 with 10 kills on 21 attacks while
Hannah Zuchowski (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro Area) put down a match-high 18 kills to pair with eight digs to power the Giants.
Malley Bowen (Owego, N.Y./Tioga Central) and
Amanda Hardy (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) added four kills apiece as Keystone hit .283 as a team against the Colonels.
Pamela Heitman (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) led all players with 19 digs and tied for a match-high with two service aces while
Victoria Homfeld (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) picked up 11 digs.
Bowen dished out a match-best 31 assists while Zuchowski and
Shannon Monahan (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold) added a pair of blocks each.
Jamey Mikovich paced Wilkes with 16 kills, Alexis Morgan had 28 assists, and Juliet Betke led the Colonels with 12 digs. The hosts posted a .202 hitting percentage in the loss to the Giants.
Match 2 vs. Alfred State
In Friday's nightcap against Alfred State (19-3), Keystone jumped out to a 2-0 advantage with wins of 25-20 and 27-25 in the first two sets, but the Pioneers countered with decisions of 25-22 and 25-20 to force a decisive fifth set. The Giants emerged with the victory by winning the fifth frame, 15-12.
Taylor Beatty (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) led a balanced Keystone attack with 11 kills while Zuchowski totaled 10 kills. Hardy chimed in with eight kills, Bowen tallied seven kills, while Larkin and
Maddie Roat (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) chipped in with six kills apiece as the Giants posted a .220 hitting percentage against Alfred State.
Bowen paced Keystone with 38 helpers and tied with Monahan for a match-high in blocks with five.
Heitman led the Giants defensively with 20 digs while Bowen (16), Larkin (12), and Roat (11) also reached double-digit digs. Heitman also added a team-best two aces in the win over the Pioneers.
Janae Hamilton tallied a match-best 17 kills while Madison Szpaicher led all players with 43 assists and 21 digs for Alfred State in the loss. As a team, the Pioneers recorded a .173 hitting percentage in the contest.
Up Next
Keystone will close out the Colonel Clash on Saturday with two more non-conference matches. The Giants will take on Moravian College at 12:00 p.m. followed by 2:00 p.m. tilt against the City College of New York.
