WENHAM, Mass. – Junior outside hitter
Gigi Stake posted 25 kills across two matches on Sunday, but the Keene State College women's volleyball team fell twice in matches that went the distance, losing to Wheaton College (Mass.) 3-2 and host Gordon College by the same score on Sunday afternoon at the Bennett Center.
The Owls (5-7) have dropped four straight, including three in a row in five, all of which were decided by exactly two points in the final frame.
KSC got off to a very strong start against Wheaton (6-6), hitting .312 in the first set before taking a 2-0 match lead by winning the second 25-13 as they held the Lyons to just two kills. However, momentum changed in the third set. Nursing a 21-20 edge after a kill by Stake, Wheaton ran off four points in a row to bring up set point and closed it out two points later with a spike from Wingler. The Owls scored four in a row to take a two-point (13-11) edge in the fourth, but the Lyons embarked on a 10-2 run to take a match-high tying six-point advantage (21-15) and closed out a 25-18 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
The Owls appeared to be in complete command to start the fifth, never trailing while opening a 10-5 lead on a pair of kills by Stake and another by Rudberg in a four-point span. It was still 12-9 Owls after Stake swung again following a timeout, but Wheaton scored four straight (three kills, one ace) to move in front for the first time.
Marina Miller twice tied it for KSC, the last time at 14-14 to force extra points, but the Lyons scored the next two to steal a win that did not seem very likely on a number of different occasions.
Against Gordon (4-6), KSC twice fell behind by a set, but bounced back each time before seeing a fifth set lead slip away in a tough defeat. The Scots came storming out of the gates in a 25-11 set win before KSC rebounded to take the second 25-21. After dropping the third by three, the Owls pounded the Scots with a 12-3 run to end the fourth in a 25-14 set victory to retie the match.
It seemed that momentum was carrying over, as KSC notched an ace on the first point of the fifth set and led 5-0 after a block by
Molly Wetherbee and Stake. Gordon answered with five in a row, but a block by
Jordyn Mik and
Annaliese Rudberg followed by kills from
Sarah Bartels and Miller helped retake an 11-7 edge. It was still 13-10 after an attacking error by the home team and KSC had match point at 14-13 following a bad set by Gordon's Annika Schmitt, but they could not close it out. Two straight kills by Annie Murphy tied it, and the Owls lost 16-14 in the fifth for the second straight match on an ace that hit the ground.
KSC racked up 23 kills against only two errors, hitting .344 and .370 respectively, in the second and fourth sets. However, in the three set losses finished with 16 kills and 17 miscues.
Murphy paced Gordon with 17 kills and hit .306. Joey Keltner had 10 kills and 16 digs.
Stake, with 14 kills and .333 hitting against Wheaton followed by 11 kills on .300 hitting against Gordon, finishes the week with 36 kills against only eight errors. She is hitting .207 on the season and has hit at least .265 in five of the last six matches.
"I know we have lost the last three games by two points in the fifth set, but I do think we are improving as far as level of volleyball," said KSC head coach Jake Girard.
"Even though Keene State has a rich history of volleyball, I am still trying to bring a new culture, new style, and new mindset and it is going to take time. We have the talent to be great. I think we need to make growth in the mental aspect of the sport. I think what we are doing in practice is working, which is why we are so close in these games. I think continuing to create pressure situations, competition, and teaching skills and defensive strategies (in practice) will help. I am happy with the growth this team has made and I can't wait to see what we can do the rest of the season."
The Owls return home to host Colby-Sawyer College (8-4, 0-2 GNAC) on Wednesday, September 25 at 4:30 p.m. before traveling to Western Connecticut State University to open Little East Conference play on Saturday.
