(Posted November 10, 2005)

Huntingdon, PA - Emma Klein and Kara Hildebrand combined 33 of Eastern University's 58 kills as the second-seed Eagles downed seventh-seed University of Scranton in NCAA Division III Volleyball Regional action Thursday night in Huntingdon. Eastern (31-5) advanced to the regional semifinal where the Eagles will take on third-seed Gettysburg which earned a 3-0 win over Penn State-Behrend earlier in the day. Scranton closes its season with a record of 21-18.

Eastern pulled away midway through game one as a serving run from Katie Ressler turned a five-point edge into a 15-8 advantage. Scranton would inch back to within three after a Katie McManus service ace made the score 24-21, but Eastern scored six of the final nine points of the game with a kill from Jacey Bray sealing the victory.

Game two followed a similar script with Scranton hanging around until back-to-back kills from Hildebrand sparked a three point run to give the Eagles a 19-15 lead. The Royals countered again, pulling to within three at 22-19 after a Cassie Dyer kill and Kim McManus. But Easter again finished strong, pulling away again with a three-point run and then closing the game with an ace from Klein.

Eastern seized control early in game three, cruising to a 15-8 lead on a six-point serving run from Ressler. A Brooke Hinkley kill halted the run for Scranton, but Eastern answered back with four-straight points to take a commanding 19-9 advantage. The home team would control things from that point, getting another late kill from Klein to earn the 30-20.

Klein finished with a match-high 18 kills for Eastern, while Hildebrand added 15 and Bray contributed 10. Chelsea Lyon passed out 42 assists in the match, helping Eastern hit .286 as a team. Ressler was one of four players in double figures in kills as she led the way with 14.

Jacqueline Pisano was tops for Scranton's offense with 10 finishes and a .304 hitting percentage. Senior Kim McManus finished with nine kills, leaving her one kill shy of 1,000 for her career. Heather Bradley led all players with 20 digs, while Deanna Every finished with 10 digs and a match-high three aces. Hinkley and Kim McManus each had three blocks.

###

Our readers respond...

Be the first to provide a response.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.