The Pioneers started off their week on the road with their matchup vs. Ohio Christian. Ohio Christian is a conference matchup and they were sitting one spot above the Pioneers in the east of the River States Conference (RSC). This matchup started off rough, with the Pioneers unable to get anything going in the first set. The whole first set was dominated by Ohio Christian, and resulted in a set one 25-15 loss for the Pioneers.
Set two was slightly better for the Pioneers with the team showcasing better play. In the end, Ohio Christian stood strong and held on to their lead to win 25-20. The Pioneers were now down 2-0 and had to put maximum effort in to try and make a comeback.
The Pioneers began set three strong. They were neck and neck throughout a lot of the set, with Ohio Christian managing to keep a lead. After several big plays from both teams, the Pioneers just could not attack effectively, resulting in a sweep in favor of Ohio Christian. Amanda Contois continued her incredible season as she finished top of the team in kills with 12. Ashlynn Gulakowski has been setting up her teammates all season long, and in this matchup she finished with 20 assists. Both teams were even in total attacks with 123 but Ohio Christian hit at a better percentage.The Pioneers made seven more hitting errors and had seven service errors to go along with it. The errors have been a source of team stress all season and this squad continues to look into improving their season.
The Pioneers came back to the student center for a home game on October 13 vs. IUPUC. IUPUC is a new team and just recently started up their volleyball program. This has resulted in a young but talented IUPUC squad, and this game looked like it could go either way.
The first set was action packed with back and forth highlights, giving the audience a good preview of what to expect for the rest of the night. The Pioneers started strong in the first set and held on to a tight lead. IUPUC made multiple efforts at a comeback, but the Pioneers held on and won the first set 25-21.
Set two was even more back and forth, as the Pioneers started off a little slower. Both teams traded the lead on multiple occasions. Contois was a human highlight reel in this set. Late in the set, the Pioneers were able to hold on to their lead and barely just pulled away for a 25-23 set two victory. This placed them 2-0 in the matchup.
The Pioneers were now looking to sweep, an accomplishment they have not been able to achieve so far this season. With play after play from both sides, this set three was looking like it could go either way. The Pioneers couldn’t keep up with IUPUC’s strong attacks, which resulted in a set three loss for the Pioneers. The Pioneers were still up, but were unable to sweep.
Set four was similar to the rest: two teams went neck and neck and struggled to hold on to any momentum or lead. The Pioneers managed to get a late lead and hold on to it, resulting in a 25-22 set four victory. The Pioneers finally got back in the win column. Contois went on a hot streak, eventually ending with 14 kills. Guilia Follador hit very well, hitting .400% and ending with 12 kills. Eden McElhaney, who seems to always fill the kill category, decided to be a defensive monster this game and got 19 digs. Wallace and Gulakowski kept dominating in the assist column, with Elise Wallace getting 25 and Ashlynn Gulakowski getting 23.
Point Park volleyball ended their week playing Indiana East in the student center on October 14. Point Park had an early lead in set one, but ended up unfortunately blowing a six point lead, losing set one 25-22.
Set two was destructive. The Pioneers were on the bad side of the domination, unfortunately. Indiana East had full control of this set and won 25-8.
Set three was better for the Pioneers. They had many moments to make an attempt at taking a lead or tying the game. This Indiana East squad just showed so much resilience throughout the whole game and, after set one, had full control of this matchup. The Pioneers were swept.
The Pioneers are now 5-15 and will play two away games this upcoming weekend, Friday, October 20 at Oakland City and Saturday, October 21 at Brescia.
