By Emma Hladik, Staff Writer
Volleyball swept their matches this past week, defeating Penn State Mont Alto three sets to none on October 13th and Washington College three sets to one on October 16th with the help of Centennial Conference Player of the Week, Zanze Kuba-McCoy ’23.
Earlier in the week, the Centennial Conference announced that the junior star won Player of the Week. She averaged an impressive 4.29 kills and 3.86 digs per set. Even though the team lost its first match last week against John Hopkins, Kuba-McCoy tallied 14 kills and 16 digs. She helped the Bullets bounce back that weekend with 11 digs and 16 kills in a victory over Muhlenberg.
“Being picked as player of the week is pretty cool and a huge compliment,” Kuba-McCoy stated. Clearly, the honor has not weighed her down, as she and her team have continued to find success on the court.
During the Bullets non-conference match against Penn State Mont Alto, they won the first set 25-14, second set 25-14, and the final set 26-24, completing the sweep.
Several Bullets stood out. Kuba-McCoy ’23 totaled 12 kills and eight digs, Ingrid Bayer ’22 recorded four kills and two blocks, and Chelsea O’Leary ’24 led the teams in digs with 22 and added three aces. Senior Sarah Ellis ’22 followed with 21 assists and three digs of her own. The last top performer from the Bullets was Callie Pidoriano ’24, who ended with seven digs and two aces.
Kuba McCoy serves (Luca España/The Gettysburgian)
Libero O’Leary led the team in digs during the match against Penn State, averaging 5.3 per set. For the fourth-straight match, Ellis contributed 20 or more assists. Nine players on the team put down a kill in the match, the second most on the season, the last time occurring during a sweep of Bryn Mawr on September 25th.
Following their win against Penn State Mont Alto, the Bullets traveled to conference opponent Washington College (Md.) on Saturday October 16th, besting the Shorewomen 3-1.
In the first set, Gettysburg came out strong, putting together a five-point run with two kills by Jordyn Horowitz ’22 and an ace by Kuba-McCoy that gave the Bullets an early 8-3 lead. The Shorewomen battled to keep the score within two points for the remainder of the set, staying within striking reach. However, they committed multiple attacking errors, breaking their comeback and allowing Kuba-McCoy to secure the 25-21 set victory with a final kill.
Olivia Biggs ’24 helped build the Bullets an 18-8 lead in the second set with an overpass kill. The Bullets recorded only one error during the second set, taking it 25-10 and giving them the 2-0 advantage over the Shorewomen.
The Bullets looked like they were set up to win the third set with an early lead of 9-5; however, Washington jumped into the lead 16-13, taking advantage of an attack error by the Bullets to go up by three. Gettysburg came back to make the margin less than one point at 23-22, but Washington recorded the final two kills to stay alive and force a fourth set.
The fourth set was competitive out of the gate with six ties. Kylie Ulrich ’24 and Kuba-McCoy propelled Gettysburg into a lead with consecutive kills, and the Bullets got to match point with a 24-18 lead. The Shorewomen answered with a kill, but Kuba-McCoy silenced the home team with a final kill. The Bullets won set 25-19, giving them a valuable conference victory.
Zuba-McCoy’s 19 kills during the match were a career best, and she also tied her personal record of 19 digs. Bayer’s six blocks made it her fifth-straight match with more than three blocks, and she is in fifth place in the conference with 0.93 blocks per game. (Information from Gettysburg College Athletics)
Cat Holtz ’24 (left), Kuba McCoy (center), and Bayer (right) ready to make a play (Luca España/The Gettysburgian)
Kuba-McCoy’s strong performances earned her a second consecutive Centennial Conference Player of the Week recognition, announced Wednesday, October 19th. She totaled 31 kills, 27 digs, and a .443 attack percentage during the week and remains the reigning Player of the Week heading into their future matches.
“We’ve had a good season so far, and we’ve definitely seen a lot of tough competition in the conference,” Ulrich said. “Our team has great chemistry off the court, which I think translates into how we play, and in Saturday’s game you could see how everything was coming together. I think everyone was connecting and communicating really well. Wednesday’s game will be super important in determining whether or not we will make it to the playoffs, so we’re all really excited for that.”
The Bullets sit at 3-3 in the Centennial Conference, putting them in sixth place in the standings. They have an overall record of 11-7 and are currently on a win streak of three games.
“I think we’ve been improving throughout the season,” Biggs said. “Last week, we played well whenever we controlled the game. This upcoming week we play Dickinson and Haverford, both crucial games to move on into playoffs. Our current goal is to beat Dickinson first.”
The Bullets have two conference games this week, which, as the players said, will be crucial in determining the Bullets’ postseason fate. They head to Dickinson on October 20th at 7:00 P.M and return home to face Haverford during Family Weekend at Bream Gym on October 23rd at 1:00 P.M, both teams sitting just above the Bullets in the conference standings.
