The Eastern University women's volleyball team used solid serving and great defense to earn a four set win over #24 Stevens Tech. The win lifts the Eagles to 13-0 and is their first over a nationally ranked oppenent this year. First year outside hitter Courtney Reinhold led the way for the Eagles with 15 kills, four blocks, and an ace.
After dropping the first point of the match, the Eagles used the energy of the near capacity home crowd to reel off seven straight points to seize momentum of the first game. The Ducks cut the lead to 16-13 before Reinhold helped Eastern escape a tough rotation with a booming back-row kill. Nicole Burns then put away three kills in the final six points to help the home team to a 25-21 first set win.
Reinhold broke open a 13-13 tie in the second set with a pair of booming kills. A Nikki Kummerer ace increased the lead, and Eastern pulled away to a 25-15 second set win. The Eagles made their run late in the second set with a rotation with five freshmen and a senior.
Coach Birtwistle said of his team's action early, "We put pressure on them throughout. I thought we served well, and we passed well enough to keep them from getting a good rhythm." Even when the Eastern hitters were not putting balls to the floor, the Ducks were forced out of system and into awkward hitting areas.
Things got interesting in the third game. Sarah Byrne almost single-handedly willed Stevens back into the match with a flurry of activity to start the game. The sophomore standout banged home 7 kills and a big block to lift the Ducks to a 22-14 lead. With Byrne in the back, the Eagles clawed their way back into the set before falling 25-20.
Eastern closed out the match with a solid 25-18 fourth set win. The Eagles jumped to an early 6-2 lead on a great hit out of system from Mary Poole and never trailed. After the home team opened a 5 point advantage at 8-3 on two Reinhold kills, the Ducks again chipped away at the lead to cut the advantage to 10-8. Mandy Platt sparked a five point run which would give the Eagles their final margin of victory.
"We passed well enough to keep our middles involved in the offense," said Birtwistle, " and Mandy (9k, 9b) and Nicole [Burns] (10 k 3 e 16 at .438 7b) had really good days. Maria [Horning] gave us a chance on every play. She just kept working and was really great today."
Horning capped her day with a great dump to a hole in the middle to lift her team to a 23-18 lead to bring the crowd to its feet. Kara Hildebrand (11 k, 2 b), who was honored before the match for achieving the 1000 kill milestone, finished the match with a tip.
Byrne finished with 13 kills and 16 digs to lead the Ducks. Eastern (13-0) returns to action Saturday with a pair of home matches. They will host Scranton at 11:00 and #18 Haverford College at 3:00.
