By Evin Caswell, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna volleyball team went undefeated at the Hampton Inn River Hawks Classic this past weekend, defeating two nationally ranked teams during a double header on Sept. 21 in Selinsgrove, Pa.
The River Hawks started the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Rochester Institute of Technology on Sept. 20. Freshman outside hitter Rosina Esposito led Susquehanna with 15 kills.
Junior right-side hitter Sydney Portale and sophomore outside hitter Brooke LaCesa had seven kills each, while senior defensive specialist Kasey Bost had nine digs. Senior setter Lindsey Pugh led the game with 31 assists.
Susquehanna entered Saturday with a record of 10-3 and a double header ahead of them. The first win came against No. 23 Clarkson University in a 3-0 blowout.
“We are a committed team all striving to achieve the same goal,” Esposito said. “This helps set the bar high for our program and allows us to compete at our highest level.”
Susquehanna tallied 49 kills on a 0.248 attack percentage and added 17 errors, while Clarkson only registered 32 kills on a 0.123 attack percent- age with 17 errors.
Esposito, Portale and LaCesa led Susquehanna in kills again with 14, 13 and 11, respectively. Esposito added 15 digs, with Pugh tacking on a game high 40 assists.
The final match of the tournament for the River Hawks came against No. 24 Ithaca College. Susquehanna won three sets in a row after dropping the first 26-24.
Susquehanna totaled 48 kills for the game on a 0.167 attack percentage with 23 errors. Ithaca tallied 57 kills on a 0.137 at- tack percentage with 34 errors.
Esposito led Susquehanna in kills for the third time in the tournament with 16 kills, while Portale added 13. Pugh led the River Hawks in assists with 35 and in digs with 20.
“Being able to find success against three top 25 teams over the past two weekends, I believe that we’re headed in the right direction,” Susquehanna head volleyball coach Kuuipo Tom said. “There are still a good number of matches coming up, including here at home against No. 15 Wesleyan.”
Susquehanna will host the River Hawk Invitational on Sept. 27 and 28 at home at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
