By Abby Condon, Staff Writer
Ranked No. 25 nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association polls for the first time, the Susquehanna women’s volleyball started the week out on a high note with a 3-0 win against Landmark Conference opponent Scranton on Oct. 16 in Scranton, Pa.
The River Hawks combined for a total of 42 kills compared to Scranton’s 27, dominating the first set and coming out on top 25-17 with 16 kills.
In the second and third sets, the River Hawks came out on top with victories of 25-17 and 25-19.
Susquehanna freshman out- side hitter Rosina Esposito led the team with 11 kills followed closely behind by junior right- side hitter Sydney Portale, who contributed nine kills.
The team’s defense was led by junior libero Lizzie Herestofa who had 18 digs and senior Lindsey Pugh who had 11 digs.
Blocking was also a key factor for the River Hawks, as senior middle hitter Veronica Kirchner contributed a match high of ve blocks.
After the game, Esposito said the team has set high goals of which they hope are realized by winning the Landmark and making it to the NCAA tournament later this year with the same sentiments echoed by her teammates.
On Oct. 19, the team traveled to the John Hopkins tri-match tournament to face off against No. 9 John’s Hopkins University and Swarthmore College.
Facing an undefeated John’s Hopkins team, the River Hawks competed tough, having a 5-0 run that gave Susquehanna its first lead of the opening frame at 14-13.
The River Hawks maintained this advantage until the Blue Jays went on their own 5-0 stretch, winning the set 25-21.
The second set started off close with both teams even at 17-17, but it ended with Susquehanna losing 25-19.
In the third and final set of the game, John’s Hopkins jumped out ahead with a lead of 9-8, but Susquehanna bounced back and took a 16-15 lead.
Ultimately, the Blue Jays responded and earned a 25-22 victory, extending their overall record to 23-0 on the season to date.
Leading the team in assists for Susquehanna was Pugh with 17, along with contributions by senior defensive specialist Caroline Beohm and Herestofa who both had two assists each.
“One of our mottos is ‘be proud, but never satisfied’ and that means we’re proud of who we are as at team and how far we have come this season, but there is more work to be done,” Pugh said. “So far this season we are 24-4 and undefeated in conference matches and hopeful for the team to make and go far into the NCAA tournament this year.”
The last match at the John’s Hopkins tournament for Susquehanna came against Swarthmore College, who the River Hawks defeated in three of the four sets, 25-15, 22-25, 25-18 and 25-16.
Tremendous defense led to these wins, with senior defensive specialist Kasey Bost racking up four aces followed by Esposito and Herestofa contributing two and one, respectively. Kirshner led with five key blocks, and Portale and sophomore outside hitter Riley O’Dowd both added one to boost the team’s win.
Pugh completed 42 assists during the four sets while Herestofa had seven and sophomore outside hitter Brooke Lacesa had a total of two to bring the River Hawks to victory.
Next, Susquehanna will travel to Atlanta on Oct. 26 and 27 to participate in the Emory Invitational, challenging University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, St. Mary’s of Indiana, Roanoke College and Emory University.
Wisconsin-Whitewater is currently 21-3 overall on the season, while St. Mary’s of Indiana sits at 9-13 thus far. Roanoke, meanwhile, owns an overall record of 12-10, while Emory boasts an incredible impressive record of 19-2.
Going up against stiff competition, the River Hawks will look to build upon their 24-2 overall record. Susquehanna is currently 4-0 in conference play.