WILKES-BARRE, PA- The Keystone College women's volleyball team battled King's College through three competitive sets Friday evening at Scandlon Gym, with the Giants showing their strongest push in the second and third sets before King's secured a 25-11, 25-21, 25-20 victory.
Keystone opened the match looking to establish its offense, with Madison Woods (Camrose, Alberta, Canada/Ecole Camrose Composite) and Isabella Buonopane (Wake Forest, N.C./Archbishop Williams) each recording kills during the opening set. Woods finished the night with four kills, while Buonopane added four kills of her own on 14 attacks. King's ultimately created separation in the opening frame and took the first set, 25-11.
The Giants came out with a stronger offensive rhythm in the second set. Keystone recorded seven kills while committing just three attack errors, its most efficient offensive set of the night. Rachel Davis (Mont Belvieu, TX/Barbers Hill) contributed during the set as part of a three-kill performance, while Hannah Ely (Wyalusing, PA/Wyalusing Valley Jr./Sr.) added to the attack and helped Keystone keep pace with King's.
The second set featured three lead changes as Keystone continued to battle throughout the frame. King's eventually pulled away late to take the set, 25-21, and move within one set of closing out the match.
Keystone continued to fight in the third set, putting together six kills while keeping the score within reach. Sydney Frasier (Loveland, CO/Thompson Valley) provided a spark offensively, finishing the match with three kills on seven attacks without an error for a .429 hitting percentage. Taylor Stephenson (Duryea, PA/Pittston Area) also delivered a strong all-around performance, going 1-for-1 on the attack while recording two service aces and nine digs.
Defensively, Nat Reyes (Lamont, CA/Arvin) led the Giants with 10 digs, while Anna Johnson (Niles, MI/Niles) added five. Reyes also helped Keystone at the service line, with three aces from Naema Alatorre (Brownsville, TX/Idea Frontier) and additional aces from Woods, Ely, and Stephenson contributing to Keystone's seven total service aces.
At the net, Keystone received contributions from multiple players. Ely recorded three kills, two assists, one service ace and a solo block, while Rachel Davis (Mont Belvieu, TX/Barbers Hill) added three kills and a block. Nakaya Cridge (New Castle, IN/South Henry School Corporation) also recorded a solo block, and the Giants finished with five total blocks as a team.
Keystone continued to battle through the final set, with Woods and Buonopane each finishing with four kills and Frasier adding her three error-free kills. The Giants totaled 19 kills, 17 assists, seven service aces, five blocks, and 31 digs over the three-set match.
King's closed out the third set, 25-20, to secure the three-set victory.
The Giants take no time to jump back into action as the team returns home for a tri-meet against Penn State Berks and SUNY Polytechnic on September 26. Keystone faces off against Penn State Berks at 11:00 am with SUNY Poly taking on the Giants at 3:00 PM.
