MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University volleyball team dropped a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference road contest Saturday afternoon at Millersville University, 3-1.
 
The Marauders took the opening two sets from The Rock, 25-18 and 25-16 before SRU answered back with a 25-20 win in the third. However, Millersville ended SRU's comeback hopes with a 25-14 victory in the fourth set.
 
With the loss, Slippery Rock's record drops to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the PSAC. Millersville improves to 7-4 overall and 2-0 in league contests with the win.
 
Senior outside hitter Beth Stumpf led the way for Slippery Rock with a team-high 12 kills in addition to nine digs and one block. Senior middle hitter Shayla Ray added eight kills and a team-high four blocks.
 
Junior outside hitter Kayla Fucci produced five kills and three aces while sophomore middle hitter Erinn Kahoe and freshman outside hitter Gabby Huck rounded out The Rock's attack with four kills each. Kahoe also matched Ray for the team lead in blocks with four to up her season total to a Rock-best 34.
 
Sophomore defensive specialist Jalyn Willard made a match-high 22 digs and junior setter Zoe Rivet guided The Rock's attack with 32 assists. Rivet and Willard both had aces as well as did sophomore setter Gabrielle Barnes and sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Jacobsen.
 
For the match, Millersville held advantages over The Rock in attack percentage (.241 - .083), kills (49-36) and aces (8-7). Slippery Rock finished the day with an 8-3 edge on the Marauders in blocks. Jayci Suseland paced Millersville with 15 kills and two blocks.
 
Following 10 straight matches away from home, Slippery Rock will finally make its season debut at Morrow Field House 7 p.m. Sept. 21 against Kutztown University.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 – The Rock and Marauders traded mini runs throughout the opening stages of Saturday's match with Millersville eventually pushing its way to a 12-7 lead. MU continued its early spurt and pulled ahead 21-12 before Slippery Rock answered back with a 6-2 run of its own to narrow its deficit to 23-18. However, Millersville was able to end The Rock's run with two consecutive points for the 25-18 opening-set win.
 
Set 2 – SRU trailed by just one point at 10-9 early in the second set, but Millersville put the game away with a decisive 8-2 run to stretch its lead out to 18-11 en route to the 25-16 win.
 
Set 3 – Millersville appeared poised to defeat The Rock in straight sets as it opened the third up with a 6-2 lead, but Slippery Rock refused to quit and methodically whittled away at the MU lead by taking 13 of the following 18 points to earn a 15-11 lead. SRU continued to control the set on the way to closing out the 25-20 victory, and avoiding the sweep, by scoring four of the set's final five points. Kahoe and Stumpf both had four kills apiece in the set while Ray produced a pair of blocks.
 
Set 4 – The Rock's comeback bid was torpedoed early in the fourth set as Millersville jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead it would never come close to relinquishing in the 25-14 match-deciding win.
 
 
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