Author: Jack Ridenour

On October 22 and 23, the women’s volleyball team took on two of the top teams in the PAC. Both Thomas Moore college and Washington and Jefferson College are in the top 5 of the PAC. This was a test for the Cougars to see how they would fare against two of the league’s best teams.

        The Cougars faced Washington and Jefferson first, who are the fourth ranked team in the league. The team started off slow, dropping the first set of the match. They picked it up a little in the second set, but fell short losing 15-25. They finally got things to click in the third set. The Cougars pulled out a hard fought victory in the third set winning 25-16, to force a fourth set. The third set was a battle to the end, but the Cougars couldn’t pull out a win, as they lost 21-25.
        Their second match was against top ranked Thomas Moore. The ladies started off a little slow, but battled their way back. The set was a back and forth between both teams. Thomas Moore eventually pulled out a 25-21 victory in the first set. The team came out strong in the second set, but fell behind quickly. They were unable to claw their way back, and eventually lost the second set. The Cougars fought hard in the third set, as they tried to force a fourth set. However, Thomas Moore eventually pulled away towards the end, as the Cougars fell 12-25 in the final set.
        Statistically, both Thomas Moore and Washington and Jefferson outplayed the Cougars. Washington and Jefferson had a total of 42 kills and only 6 errors, compared to the Cougars 35 kills and 19 errors. Against Thomas Moore, the Cougars had 17 kills and cut down their errors by two with a total of 17.

        The team is fighting to stay alive for a spot in the playoffs. “We just need to give everything we have in these next two games. A win against Westminster College and Grove City College is what we need.” said junior defensive specialist and Policy Studies major Ava Iuliucci. “We’ve been so dedicated to playoffs since the beginning of the season. I think each and every one of us has to worked so hard to get to where we are right now. Although we are on a losing streak, I really think we can continue to work hard and pull it off.” Iuliucci said. This confidence going into the latter part of the season will be crucial to them making it to playoffs.