BETHANY, W.Va. (Oct. 5) – The Saint Vincent women's volleyball team opened up its Presidents' Athletic Conference slate by defeating Bethany College on the road in straight sets.
The Bearcats (7-9, 1-0 PAC) won the three sets by scores of 26-24, 25-15 and 26-24.
Three Bearcats recorded double-doubles, led by Kaelyn Staples-Klasnic, who posted a match high 12 kills to go with 16 digs. Meegan Williams added 10 kills and 18 digs, while Vivian Poach dished 29 assists and picked up 13 digs.
Stacie Ramos led the Saint Vincent defense with 25 digs, while Poach, Hershberger, Lauren Fox and Maya Martell each tallied blocks.
The Bearcats totaled nine service aces in the win, led by four from Hershberger and three from Ramos.
The opening set began with 14 lead changes, before Bethany scored three unanswered points to take a 14-12 lead. Saint Vincent then responded, rattling off five unanswered points, capped off by a Staples-Klasnic kill, to jump in front, 17-14. Momentum then swung the way of the Bison, who countered with a 6-1 run to jump in front 20-18. The teams traded the next four points, with Bethany leading 22-21, before SVC rattled off three straight, capped off with back-to-back kills from Williams, to go in front, 23-22. The back-and-forth continued, with Bethany answering with two straight points to take a 24-23 lead, but the Bearcats finished with a flurry, scoring three unanswered points, culminating with Poach and Fox teaming up for a block, to win 26-24.
The Bison opened up set two with a 3-2 lead, but the Bearcats would then erupt to score eight of the next nine points to take a 10-4 lead. The lengthy run included aces by Poach and Ramos, two kills from Hershberger, and one from Klasnic-Staples. Bethany chipped away at the deficit, eventually pulling to within 12-10, before SVC used another lengthy run to open up a 20-13 advantage. The lead continued to grow down the stretch, with the Bearcats coasting to the 10-point win.
Like the opening set, the third was back-and-forth for the duration, as the Bearcats took an early 4-2 lead, before the Bison charged back to open up an 11-8 margin. A pair of Klasnic-Staples kills forged a 12-12 tie, before a Hershberger kill, followed by a Bethany attack error, gave the Bearcats a 15-13 advantage. The momentum then swung toward Bethany, which tied the match at 16, before taking an 18-17 lead. Kills from Williams and Staples temporarily put the Bearcats back in front, 20-19, and the teams would then trade points over the next several rallies, before Bethany pulled ahead, 23-22. After Martel and Hershberger teamed up for a block, a Williams kill set up match point at 24-23. The Bison temporarily held off the Bearcats, tying it at 24-24, before Williams closed out the set and match victory with kills on back-to-back rallies to end the match
As a team, Saint Vincent held advantages in kills (37-25), hitting percentage (.103 - .028), aces (9-2), assists (34-23) and digs (88-78).
Saint Vincent will be back on the road when they return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 9, with a 7 p.m. PAC match at Washington & Jefferson.
