Knights Split on Day Two of Castle Point Challenge

Oliver Liu

Women's Volleyball | 9/18/2021 6:03:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Hoboken, NJ – A five-match winning streak was broken for the Clarkson University Volleyball team, but the Golden Knights started a new one in the second match on Saturday as the Green and Gold split against University of Scranton (13-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-16) and Stockton University (25-15, 25-15, 17-25, 25-22) at the Castle Point Challenge.

The Golden Knights moved to 8-4 on the season while Scranton improved to 9-2 and Stockton dropped to 3-9. Clarkson opens up conference play next weekend at RIT and then at home against Ithaca College.

In Saturday's opener, Clarkson looked like it would easily outmatch Scranton with a dominating effort in the first set that saw the Knights strike for 15 kills while Scranton had just eight. The Royals found their offensive groove over the next three sets while simultaneously capitalizing on Clarkson's miscues. The Knights had at least six attack errors in each of the final three sets, including eight in the second and fourth games, while Scranton hit 39-8-108 (.287) for the remainder of the match, capped off by a 13-0-35 (.371) effort in the fourth game.

Grad student Gillian Kurtic had 14 kills and just three errors on 30 swings to lead the Knights, while freshman Allyson Treichel struck for 13 kills on 26 attempts with only five errors. Emma Baxter led the defense with 33 digs and Isabelle Crow posted 43 assists and 10 digs. Cel Barrera-Lopez also chipped in 12 digs in three aces. Scranton received 13 kills from Carah Vitkus and 12 more from Stephanie Margolies. Caleigh Cox was solid all-around with 35 assists, 18 digs and five block assists.

In match two of Saturday, the Golden Knights cruised to a pair of lopsided wins in the first two sets, using a 13-4 run in the first and a 13-2 run in the second to create plenty of space. In the third set, however, the Knights fell behind by nine and never recovered, forcing a fourth game. That set was close throughout as Clarkson held the largest advantage at three points before seeing it reduced to zero at 21-21. Clarkson jumped back ahead on block assists by Megan McEwen and Allyson Treichel, and a kill by Treichel provided further breathing room. Stockton ended the set with a service error and an attack error to allow Clarkson to claim the win.

Treichel finished with 17 kills, six digs and a pair of blocks and McEwen added 10 kills and three blocks. Isabelle Crow ran the offense with 47 assists and also chipped in 12 digs, while Emma Baxter contributed 25 digs and Cel Barrera-Lopez had 13 digs and three aces. For Stockton, Charlotte Leon contributed 18 kills and Caity Ullmer tossed in 10 kills. Aubrey Rentzal had 33 assists, Alice Brandt produced 16 digs, and Sophia Marziello recorded 14 digs and three aces.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#3 Cel Barrera-Lopez: L/DS; 5' 2"; Senior

#2 Emma Baxter: L/DS; 5' 5"; Junior

#11 Isabelle Crow: S; 5' 8"; Junior

#14 Gillian Kurtic: MH/RS; 6' 3"; Graduate Student

#10 Megan McEwen: MH; 6' 3"; Senior

#7 Allyson Treichel: MH; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#3 Cel Barrera-Lopez
: 5' 2"; Senior
: L/DS

#2 Emma Baxter
: 5' 5"; Junior
: L/DS

#11 Isabelle Crow
: 5' 8"; Junior
: S

#14 Gillian Kurtic
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student
: MH/RS

#10 Megan McEwen
: 6' 3"; Senior
: MH

#7 Allyson Treichel
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: MH