By Maddy Lanning, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna women’s volleyball team swept Dickinson 3-0 on Sept. 10 in Selinsgrove, Pa., with multiple River Hawks tallying double digit kills and assists.
Susquehanna started off strong, beating the Red Devils 25-17 in the first set and pulling away with 18 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Kody Dillon and sophomore outside hitter Riley O’Dowd tallied 15 of the River Hawks kills throughout the match. Freshman Rosina Esposito tallied on nine.
The second set saw more of the same, as Susquehanna topped Dickinson with a 25-16 victory. Entering the third and final set, the River Hawks kept the pressure on, winning 25- 18 with 10 kills as opposed to Dickinson’s nine.
Sophomore setter Samantha Balsamo recorded a team best of 16 assists during her time on the court.
“As a setter, I have a lot riding on me to help out the team, so to see that big of a number was crazy,” Balsamo said.
Junior libero Lizzie Herestofa also recorded a team best that night with eight digs.
Following a key win in their home opener, the River Hawks then went on to play at the Doubletree Invitational on Sept. 13 and 14 in Pittsburgh, Pa., going 2-2 against the likes of Case Western, Carnegie Melon, Mount Union and Muskingum.
In the back and forth sets against Mount Union, there were many ups and downs for the River Hawks as they fell in the first set 25-16.
The team then bounced back however, finishing the second set with a 25-18 win while recording 14 kills over- all. The Raiders would eventually defeat the River Hawks in the fifth set.
Key players from the Mount Union game were junior right- side hitter Sydney Portale, Esposito, senior middle hitter Veronica Kirchner, Dillon, Herestofa and senior setter Lindsey Pugh.
Portale led the team with 19 kills with Esposito trailing behind with 15. Pugh dominated the court with 49 assists throughout the match.
“It was a hard-fought game for us,” Pugh said. “I think we did extremely well even with the outcome we got.”
In the following game against Muskingum, the River Hawks once again came up short, fall- ing 25-18 in the final set to suffer another defeat.