Lady Barons Struggle in Saturday Tournament

By Dylan Ehle

LATROBE, PA - The Lady Barons traveled to St. Vincent College to participate in a tournament this Saturday.  Despite missing star hitter Ali Aeschliman, the Lady Barons managed to play competitive volleyball, although they lost both of their matches 3-0.

The Lady Barons entered their first match against Houghton College with a new lineup, which was devoid of Aeschliman and incorporated several new players.  The Lady Barons lost a close contest in the first game, 19-25, but rallied back to force extra points in the second game before falling, 26-28.  The third match was less of a contest, ending with a score of 14-25, but the Lady Barons had certainly made a good showing in the match.

"This was a really completive match," head coach Kelly Herrmann said, "We had a couple of lapses which cost us, but on the whole we played pretty inspired volleyball.  While it was difficult to play without Ali, it taught us that we really rely on her a lot, and it allowed other players to step up."

The most notable player who "stepped up" in this match was freshman outside hitter Kelsey Bowker, who registered 23 attempted and nine registered kills, along with nine digs.

The second match did not go as well for the Lady Barons.  Outmatched by an extremely powerful St. Vincent College team, the Lady Barons lost 7-25, 8-25, and 18-25.  However, Paddy Scott had an excellent match, registering six assists and ten digs.  Senior Bernedette Moore added twelve attack attempts, and Kelsey Bowker continued her solid play of the previous match by registering three kills.

"This is one of the tougher teams on our schedule," Coach Herrmann said, "However; we played a closer match with them this year than last year.  We struggled without Ali's blocking and hitting ability, but even without her we still managed to contend with St. Vincent more than last year."

Coach Herrmann remarked that the match as a whole was a learning experience for her team:  "We definitely have some inconsistencies, but it was good for us to get a better idea of where we stand.  It was difficult to play without Ali, but not having her today allowed some of our other players to get more playing time and see what they could do."

The Lady Barons are looking to break their 3 game losing streak as they travel to Penn State Beaver Monday night at 7pm.