Forgive Point Park if it is excited about its recent play.
The Pioneers’ womens volleyball team has won eight straight matches and 24 consecutive sets to bring its overall record to 10-6 and Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) mark to a perfect 6-0.
Kelsey Veydt, one of three captains and a defensive specialist, believes this successful stretch has not come by accident.
“We’ve been working hard in the gym and taking that hard work into match play,” Veydt said. “It also means we’re coming together and learning to trust each other on the court.”
The week started with a win over NCAA Division II opponent Edinboro University. Last season, the Pioneers lost 3-2 to Edinboro; however at home Point Park handled the Fighting Scots 3-0.
“I think tonight was a [continuation] of what we’ve been working on,” said head coach Mike Bruno. “We’re doing some really good things in practice, and they’re translating into being successful in matches. It’s a quality win for us, and it’s going to continue cultivating that culture of trust as we move forward.”
The 25-21, 25-21, 25-20 victory was led by Ashley Taylor, who had both a season and career high of 14 kills in the match, a feat she would match later in the week.
“Our coach has been on us about staying strong within the second game because of the fact that we always go down in the second game, and we always let up,” Taylor said. “After this match, he told us that he was very proud and this is a learning experience for us. This was a really hard match for us, and we did very well with it.”
The remainder of the week saw the Pioneers win three KIAC matches against Alice Lloyd, Midway and Rio Grande.
Against Alice Lloyd, Point Park won the first game of the match 25-3, the fewest points allowed in a set by the Pioneers.
“We didn’t worry about the other side. We took care of our side and played the way we train to play,” said Veydt.
Point Park won that match Friday 25-3, 25-10, 25-6 and beat Midway 25-21, 27-25, 25-11 later that night.
Saturday the Pioneers went to Rio Grande, OH, and defeated Rio Grande 25-19, 25-21, 29-27.
In the third game, Point Park was down 24-21 and a point away from losing its first set since August 30. Instead, Taylor and Shiloh Simonson kept the Pioneers in the game. Up 28-27, Roxanne Grundmeier saved another tie but collided with Simonson. Paige Baker saved the ball and Keaton Sausman placed it on the other side of the court. Rio Grande was unable to send it over, securing the Point Park win.
“It was a good, competitive game, we kept pushing back,” Veydt said. “Winning that one was definitely a big moment for our team because no matter how close the score was we kept playing, and that relentlessness rewarded us with the win.”
While the team has been successful as of late, Veydt feels there is always room for improvement.
“We need to make opponents earn points instead of us just giving them away,” Veydt said.
Point Park hoped to improve on this Tuesday against Fairmont State. It will then play Indiana University Kokomo Friday and wrap up its week on the road against West Virginia State and Wheeling Jesuit.
