KUTZTOWN, PA – The Southern New Hampshire volleyball team wrapped up play at the Kutztown tournament Saturday with a split. The Penmen return home with a 2-1 overall record.

In the first game of the day, SNHU was victorious over tournament host, Kutztown University. Despite three tight games, the Penmen were able to pull away in each for a shutout win over the Bears.

In the first set, the two teams traded points until a pair of SNHU kills along with a service ace and a Bears' hitting error gave the Penmen a chance to pull away and gain a 14-10 lead.  However, the Bears scored the next four points to tie the game at 14. Kutztown hit the 20-point mark first on a kill by Audrey Stringer to take a 20-19 lead, but SNHU answered once again with two more kills and a service ace and did not trail again for a 25-21 defeat.

Strong play from the Penmen continued in the second set as SNHU scored the first point and never trailed once. Taking as much as a seven-point lead, Southern New Hampshire tallied 17 kills en route to a 25-22 win and a 2-0 lead over the Bears heading into the third set.

SNHU struck first again in the final set and led Kutztown until the 20-point mark. The Bears scored three points in a row to take a two-point lead (23-21) over the Penmen, but two Emma Houlihan (Shoreham, N.Y.) kills tied the set up at 24 apiece. Victoria Wehrmann (Dallas, Texas) notched one final kill, and Maeghan Higgins (Hesperia, Calif.) sealed the deal with a service ace for a 26-24 victory.

Three different Penmen logged double-digit kills, including Houlihan with 10, Wehrmann, who had a game-high 18, and Nina McGouldrick (Richardson, Texas) with 11.  SNHU also recorded nine service aces in the win. Higgins totaled two aces along with a match-best 13 digs, and Catherine Cotton (Murphy, Texas) added 43 assists.

In the second game of the day, the Penmen suffered their first loss of the season to an undefeated West Chester (3-0), by a score of 3-1.

The Rams scored the last five points of the first set to get the 25-16 victory, but SNHU answered in the second set to tie the match at one game apiece.

Southern New Hampshire jumped out to a six-point lead over West Chester powered by a pair of service aces and kills. However, the Rams answered with a six-point run to tie the set at 8-8, and the teams traded points through the remainder of the set. Tied at 22, a McGouldrick service ace boosted the Penmen lead by one, followed by a Houlihan kill to lead 24-22. West Chester tied the game once more after an Allison Grammar kill and SNHU hitting error at 24, but Houlihan and Wehrmann secured the win with back-to-back kills to take a 26-24 win.

The Penmen fell to the Rams in the third set, despite a late seven-point comeback. Trailing by just one point, the Penmen were unable to take the lead, and West Chester earned a 25-17 third set win to take a 2-1 advantage over SNHU.

The final set was back-and-forth until midway through the set when the Rams pulled away with a 20-13 lead. However, SNHU made one more push late cutting the lead to five, but another Grammer kill was the difference as West Chester defeated the Penmen by a score of 25-19 to win the match.

Wehrmann totaled a game-best 14 kills along with three blocks. Higgins added 18 digs, and Cotton dished out 38 assists.

The Penmen return to action Tuesday, September 10 when they travel to Saint Anselm for a non-conference game slated for 7:30 pm.

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