SAN ANTONIO, TX (October 15, 2022) – The Susquehanna volleyball team took on two more tough matches on Saturday after a tough five-set loss to Nebraska Wesleyan University on Friday afternoon in Texas. They faced UC-Santa Cruz at noon, a team that has received votes in every iteration of the AVCA Top 25 Poll this season, falling 3-1 with set scores of 17-25, 25-22, 23-25, and 12-25. They then took on the hosts, #2 Trinity University, at 4 pm and would fall 3-0, with set scores of 16-25, 15-25, and 24-26.
Match 1: UC-Santa Cruz 3, Susquehanna 1
Offense would prove to be a struggle for the River Hawks in the match, as they had only 33 kills compared to UCSC's 54. The hitting percentage also proved to be a major difference, as UCSC had a strong .241 total, including a match-high .366 in the third set, while SU hit .105 in the match, also turning in their best set in the third with a .282 performance.
While the River Hawks were outmatched in most statistical categories, they did continue to show strength at the net, putting up nine blocks to Santa Cruz's seven. Ryan Rorls led the team in kills with 13 but hit just .154, also adding four digs. Emily Kowalski would be the other River Hawk with double digit kills at 11, and had the highest hitting percentage on the team with just a .194 mark, emblematic of the team struggles. Kody Dillon was a major part of the blocking work, contributing a solo block and five block assists. Keira Roach has 21 assists to lead the team, a far cry from her high watermark of 49 on Friday night. Lexie Kalligonis led in digs with 18.
Match 2: Trinity 3, Susquehanna 0
SU's struggles worsened in the second match of the day, as the percentage fell further to a .084 mark and only one player reached double digit kills. That would be Kowalski, who had 12 but hit just .056. She added a block assist and a dig. The River Hawks usual advantage at the net was also mitigated in the match, as Trinity racked up 13 blocks to SU's five.
The closest set was the third as Trinity struggled to put the match away, seeing their hitting drop off as they tallied a match-high total of 10 errors in the set. However, SU kept pace with nine errors of their own, coming up short of being able to force a fourth set.
Roach again led in assists, this time putting up 27 along with 11 digs. Kalligonis topped her for the lead in digs with 13.
Susquehanna sees their record fall to 12-10 overall, their first double digit loss season since 2018. 2-1 in the Landmark Conference thus far, they'll get back to conference action this week on Wednesday, October 19 as they'll visit Drew University for a 7 pm match and a chance to end a three-game losing skid.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
