Volleyball swept by Washington & Jefferson
“It was a fun match to coach, and I am sure the team agrees to having fun playing,” said head coach Stephanie Benkowski. “Each day we work on being one.”
The Waynesburg University volleyball team traveled Tuesday night to Washington, Pennsylvania to face Washington & Jefferson College in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference match. The Yellow Jackets fell 3-0 to the Presidents.
The Jackets jumped out to a 5-1 lead early in the first set. The teams continued to exchange points keeping the score close. However, the Presidents took control and dominated the remainder of the set, winning by a set score of 25-15.
The teams battled back and forth in the second set. The Presidents held a slim lead of 14-12 at one point, and the Jackets were unable to keep up the pace and once again Washington & Jefferson pulled away to a 25-16 victory.
The Jackets fell behind 9-2 in the third set, but rallied to close the margin to one point. Just as in the first two sets, the Presidents outplayed the Jackets down the stretch to come out on top 25-16.
The third set win gave the Presidents the match victory 3-0.
Claiming team-high kills for Waynesburg were outside hitters freshman Casey Hall and junior Kourtney Skinner, with five each. Freshman setter Delaney Denniston led the team with 19 assists. Skinner led the team with 14 digs while junior Jessica Dorazio added 12.
Even with the loss to W&J, Dorazio summed up her view of the match.
“Our main focus was to fight,” said Dorazio. “Each time we step on the court, we want to give it our all, and earn the other team’s respect. We will never be known as the team that gives up or slacks off.”
Benkowski was pleased with the team’s effort as well.
“I was happy with the effort the team put in and never putting their heads down,” said Benkowski. “They played together for each set.”
In order to be more competitive in the PAC, Benkowski said the focus needs to be on correcting errors moving forward.
“We need to minimize our own errors to be more competitive,” said Benkowski. “Keeping the focus and continuing to work towards the common goal of getting more wins.”
Following Tuesday night’s game, Waynesburg dropped to 5-16 for the season and 1-6 in the PAC. The Yellow Jackets will travel to face the Grove City Wolverines tonight. The match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.