SCRANTON, Pa. - Widener Women's Volleyball splits the weekend with a victory over Penn State Harrisburg and a setback against Marywood.
The Pride move to 2-8 on the season and remain 0-0 in conference play.
BY THE NUMBERS – PENN STATE HARRISBURG (PA)
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST – PENN STATE HARRISBURG (PA)
-
The Pride started the set trading points with Penn State Harrisburg before the Lions pulled ahead 10–5. Widener rallied with four straight points to narrow the gap to 16–17, including kills from Kristen Vacca and Gabriella Bottino. Despite the Pride's push, the Lions maintained control through the mid-to-late stretch to finish the set 25–19, taking a 1–0 lead in the match.
-
Widener bounced back in set two, opening with a 4-2 run behind a kill from Kramer and a service ace from Bottino. The Pride extended their lead to 12–6 with key points from Azira Benjamin, Mary Carter, Mira Canali, Bottino, and Kramer. The Pride kept momentum, mixing kills, service aces, and forced errors to push ahead 20–13. The Pride closed out the set 25–20 to even the match 1–1.
-
Set three was back-and-forth early, with both teams trading points through 12-12. The Pride gradually gained control mid-set with kills from Kramer and Benjamin, along with a service ace from Kaitlyn Guessford moving ahead 18-12. The Lions would come back to take the lead 19-18. But shortly after, the Pride would reclaim the lead 21-19 from kills from Kramer and Canali. This push would eventually help the Pride close out the match 25-22 to take the lead 2-1.
-
Set four saw the Pride take an early lead of 8-2, scoring five of the first eight points through service aces from Guessford. The Pride kept building their advantage through a well-placed kill and several Lion errors, extending their edge to 15–11. The Lions managed a few points to narrow the gap to 19–18, but the Pride's consistent attacking and smart serving carried them to a 25–20 set win, clinching the match 3–1.
BY THE NUMBERS – MARYWOOD (PA)
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST – MARYWOOD (PA)
-
Widener jumped out to a strong 5–0 lead, using a mix of service aces from Chronister and errors from the Pacers. The Pride and the Pacers would then fight for the lead, eventually tying at 11-11. The Pride stayed in the match with kills from Kaitlyn Guessford, Azira Benjamin, Kramer, and Kristen Vacca, but the Pacers rallied late to take the set 27–25.
-
Set two saw the Pride get on the board first with two early points, but Marywood quickly turned the tide with a five-point run to take a 7–2 lead. The Pride tried to rally with kills from Kramer, Guessford, and Zimmerman to bring the score to 8-12. Marywood, however, continued to control the set, extending their lead to 17–10. The Pride fought to chip away at the deficit with a kill from Kramer and a service ace from Airyn Zimmerman, but the Pacers stayed ahead. Marywood closed out the frame 25–17, taking a 2–0 match advantage.
-
In set three, Widener started strong with early points from Zimmerman and Mary Carter, keeping the score close. The Pacers managed to pull ahead 7–6. The Pride battled back with kills from Vacca and Kayla Sicher, contributing to points that put the Pride back on top 13-11. The Pacers came back 16-13. The Pride continued to fight, with key points from Zimmerman, Mira Canali, Vacca, and Gabriella Bottino, but it was not enough. The Pacers closed out the set 25–19, sweeping the match 3–0.
UP NEXT
The Pride is back on the road, this time, to Dalla, Pa., taking on Misericordia on Wednesday, September 17. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
