Playoff hopes shrink with two volleyball setbacks

Addison Bliss, Contributing Writer

The volleyball team entered last weekend with a 3-6 record in the Patriot League but finished with two more losses. The Bison had a tough 3-1 loss on Oct. 24 at Holy Cross and a 3-2 defeat the next day at West Point against Army.

Despite a back-and-forth final set, the Bison lost to the Crusaders by a line of 25-17, 18-25, 25-15, 25-23. The loss was highlighted by a quality performance by Kristen Parks ’17, who had a total of 38 digs in the four sets played. She was one of four Bison to achieve at least 10 digs (Hailey Stout ’18 with 19, Jordan Walker ’17 with 17, and Meghan Wentzel ’16 with 13).

Other notable performances included those of Karen Campbell ’16 and Erika Eastley ’17. Campbell had 13 kills in the game, while Eastley and Walker each had 12.

The next game against Army was an exciting yet heartbreaking one. The Orange and Blue came out strong with victories in the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-20. Army then responded with a run of their own, winning the final three sets 25-18, 32-30, and 15-11.

The Bison had four match point opportunities in the intense fourth set, but were unable to close the door. Eastley, Parks, Wentzel, Walker, and Stout all had quality games to follow up their strong performances the day before. Eastley recorded eight aces as the team’s server and had 11 kills as well. Walker and Stout had 18 and 12 kills, respectively. Wentzel tallied 45 assists, while Parks had a team-leading 30 digs.

The Bison (4-15, 3-8 Patriot League) would need a few consecutive victories to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Orange and Blue have two home games this weekend. They will play Navy (7-3 Patriot League) on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. and will play American (9-0) Nov. 1 at 5 p.m.

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