Nicole Hauck, Staff Writer
Junior setter Lindsey Pugh reached her 1,000 assists milestone during the Franklin and Marshall game on Friday, Oct. 19 and junior defensive specialist Kasey Bost reached her 1,000 digs milestone toward the end of the Swarthmore game on Saturday, October 20.
The Susquehanna volleyball team dominated over Wesleyan University and Swarthmore Colleg ending the weekend with two strong wins on Saturday.
“There are so many moving parts that are necessary to be successful and every player went in with the right mindset, executed, and we walked away with a couple of good wins,” Pugh said.
The River Hawks beat Wesleyan in three sets (25–19, 25–12, 25–23) and Swarthmore in four sets (21–25, 25– 19, 25–19, 25–23).
“All in all, I’m incredibly proud of my team and how we played on Saturday,” junior middle and outside hitter Hannah Lyons said.
“I think this is the beginning of the peak of our season, and if we continue to play the way we did on Saturday, we will be bringing home a conference championship,” Lyons said.
The River Hawks struggled in the beginning of their first game against Wesleyan, as the Cardinals took the lead twice.
The River Hawks gained their momentum when the score hit 10–12. A kill by sophomore rightside hitter Sydney Portale and a service ace by Pugh were two key plays that kept the River Hawks alive.
Susquehanna became unstoppable shortly after that and despite a close score during the second and third sets, the River Hawks maintained their lead.
The match ended with the River Hawks closing the final four points. Highlighted plays came from Portale, Pugh and freshman middle and outside hitter Kody Dillon.
Key players during the Wesleyan match were Pugh, Dillon, Lyons, Portale, and junior middle hitter Veronica Kirchner. Pugh handed out 33 assists to ensure the River Hawk victory.
Both Dillon and Lyons recorded 10 kills respectively, in addition to Dillon’s two aces and one block, and Lyons’ five blocks. Portale recorded eight kills and three blocks on the day and Kirchner added six kills and four blocks.
“Our first match, against Wesleyan Conn., was a big win because we had lost to them earlier this season,” Pugh said. That sweep set a great tone for us going into the second match against Swarthmore.”
For the River Hawks’ second game of the day, Susquehanna fell short and lost the first set of the match.
This did not stop Susquehanna, rather it encouraged them and led them to win the next three sets.
The match was continually tight between both Susquehanna and Swarthmore, but the River Hawks did not let down and sealed their earned win.
Key players for the Swarthmore game were Portale, Dillon, Lyons and freshman outside and rightside hitter Riley O’Dowd.
Portale led the team with 15 kills and three blocks. Lyons contributed 10 kills and four blocks while O’Dowd finished with eight kills and three blocks on the day.
“It was awesome to finish off our tri-match with two wins. It’s important that we have the energy and momentum going into this coming weekend, which finishes off conference play,” Lyons, who earned Landmark Conference Player of the Week, said.
“We’ve had lots of underclassmen stepping up, especially with the unusual amount of injuries we have had this season,” Lyons continued. “They performed well over the course of Saturday’s matches, especially considering we have to put such high expectations in place.”
The River Hawks extended their winning streak to three by defeating Division II Bloomsburg University in four sets (25–20, 25–18, 24–26, 25–16) on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at home in Selinsgrove.
“I’d like to thank Bloomsburg for coming to Selinsgrove and playing our team as a Division II school in its inaugural season. I wish them the best of luck going forward,” head coach Kuuipo Tom said to the Sports Information Office.
During the game, senior middle and rightside hitter Janai Henderson was honored as the team’s only senior player.
Dillon led the team with 17 kills and O’Dowd added 10. Pugh handed out 47 assists.
Susquehanna’s current record is 21–12 and 3–1 in the Landmark Conference.
The River Hawks return to action this weekend and look to continue their success at Moravian against Goucher at 1:30 p.m. and Elizabethtown at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.
