The Shippensburg University volleyball team ended an undefeated weekend at the Chowan Tournament with a 3-1 win over Lincoln Memorial on Saturday afternoon. The Raiders only dropped one set throughout the entire tournament. Set scores were 25-20, 22-25, 25-17, and 25-17.
Shippensburg (6-2) saw two players achieve double-digit kills. Freshman Gracen Nutt (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area) had a team-high of 15 kills, while senior Jackie Sterenberg (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial (Frostburg State) had 13 kills and just one error. Nutt added seven digs and one service ace and Sterenberg added nine digs, two aces, and a block.
Sophomore Kearstin Davis (San Antonio, Tex./Reagan) and freshman Shay Kolivoski (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) combined for 36 digs over four sets. Davis had 21 digs in addition to 33 assists and five kills. Koliviski contributed 15 digs, seven assists, and an ace.
While LMU outnumbered SU in kills 52-to-50, the Raiders committed 12 fewer errors to sway the match in their favor.
The first set saw the Raiders overcome a slow start after conceding an early 8-2 lead to the Railsplitters. Shippensburg shifted momentum thanks to eight errors from LMU and built an 11-3 run to grab the set.
The opening of the second set was similarly sluggish for the Raiders as they dropped quickly to a 14-3 deficit. Despite rallying back within two points, the Railsplitters fended off the effort and took the set 25-22.
In the third set, SU jumped out to a stronger start with a 12-5 lead. Lincoln Memorial hung around but never pulled within closer than three points. The Raiders had 16 kills and just three errors, with junior Maddie Clabaugh (Gettysburg, Pa./Delone Catholic) contributing the set-high of six kills.
The Raiders saved their most dominant set for last as they smashed 16 kills and committed zero errors. The team’s .457 hitting percentage was its best single-set performance of the season, and five different players recorded multiple kills within the frame.
Shippensburg returns to action on Friday at 3 p.m. as they travel to West Virginia to face Fairmont State at the PSAC/MEC Crossover.
