ASTON, Pa. - Widener Women's Volleyball fall to Ursinus and DeSales on day two of Knights Invitational at Neumann University.
The Pride drop to 1-6 on the season and remain 0-0 in conference play.
BY THE NUMBERS – URSINUS (PA)
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST – URSINUS (PA)
-
The Pride jumped ahead early behind kills from Kristen Vacca, Kramer, and Gabriella Bottino for a 6–4 lead, then stretched it to 11–8. The Bears clawed back to even the score at 13, but the Pride regained momentum as Bottino and Kramer fueled a 20–18 edge. The Bears answered late, tying it at 22 before closing with a service ace and a kill to take the opener 26–24.
-
The Pride traded points with the Bears early before pulling even at 14–14. From there, the Pride surged ahead behind kills from Vacca, Kramer, Hailey Haxton, Bottino, and Canali, stretching their lead to 24–18. A late Bears point cut the gap, but Widener sealed the set 25–19 to even the match at one apiece.
-
The Bears jumped out early and used a string of kills and service aces to take control, building a 20–10 lead. The Pride answered with a small rally behind Kramer and Bottino, trimming the gap to 23–18, but the comeback fell short. The Bears closed the frame with two final points to secure the set 25–18 and grab a 2–1 match advantage.
-
The Pride opened with an early block to grab a quick lead 1-0, but the Bears answered with a long scoring run split up by a kill from Kramer that pushed the Pride into an 11–4 deficit. Kills from Vacca and Kaitlyn Guessford, along with a service ace by Guessford and Kramer, gave the Pride a spark and trimmed the margin to 20–12. Despite the late push, Ursinus closed out the set 25–12, handing the Pride a 3–1 loss in the match.
BY THE NUMBERS – DESALES (PA)
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST – DESALES (PA)
-
The Pride jumped ahead early, using kills from Bottino and Ava Kramer to build a 6–2 lead. The Pride extended their advantage to 15–8 at the midpoint, mixing in a service ace, three kills, and forced errors by the Bulldogs. The Pride controlled the final stretch, closing out the set 25–15 to take the lead 1-0.
-
Widener opened set two with a strong start, building an early 3–0 lead behind a kill from Bottino and two errors from the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs fought back, using a mix of kills and service aces to pull even at 13–13. The set remained tight through the mid-to-late stretch, with the Pride briefly regaining a 16–13 edge. However, the Bulldogs closed out the frame with a late 12–4 run to take the set 25–20, evening the match at one set apiece.
-
Set Three saw the Pride and the Bulldogs trade points early, tied at 4–4. Widener pulled ahead briefly 9–7 on kills from Bottino, Keara Zaranski, and Mary Carter, but the Bulldogs kept pace, and the set stayed tight through 17–17. The Bulldogs then pulled away, closing out the set 25–19 to take a 2–1 match lead.
-
The Pride jumped out to a 4–4 tie early in set four before gradually taking control. Strong kills from Airyn Zimmerman and Mira Canali, along with service aces from Chronister, helped Widener pull ahead to 15–6. Despite the Bulldogs scoring 11 points, the Pride's consistent attacking and smart serving carried them to a 25–17 win, leveling the match at 2–2 and forcing a decisive fifth set.
-
The Pride opened strong in set five with four straight points behind kills from Bottino and Kramer along with two service aces to lead 4–1. The Pride kept pace with kills from Vacca, Canali, Kramer, Bottino, and Zimmerman to tie things late at 14–14, but the Bulldogs capitalized on back-to-back points to close out the set 16–14 and seal the match 3–2.
UP NEXT
The Pride is back on the road, this time, to Haverford, PA, taking on Haverford College on Wednesday, September 10. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
