The Raiders’ season is slowly coming to a close and the team looks great as it prepares for the PSAC playoffs next week. The Raiders went 3-0 this past week, sweeping both Millersville University and Cheyney University in three sets and defeating West Chester University in four sets on Saturday.

Tuesday, Nov. 3

The Red Raiders played their last home game of the season on Tuesday against Millersville at Heiges Field House in Shippensburg. The Raiders came out firing in their first set against Millersville. The team came out to a 12-3 advantage en route to a 14-point win for the set.

The team slowed down a bit in the second set, but were still able to capitalize, winning 10-of-11 points, which included an eight point swing that turned a 9-6 lead into a 19-7 lead for the Raiders.

Millersville was able to bounce back in the third, leading the Raiders 15-14 late in the third. However, the Raiders were able to regain control by winning six of seven points in the set.

The Raiders’ sweep was thanks in large part to junior Annie Goerl’s amazing game against Millersville. Goerl had a double-double Tuesday with 15 kills and 11 digs. She also had a hitting percentage of .500 and converted 15 kills on 30 total attacks without a single error. Goerl’s 15 kills were a new season high and also a new career high in a three-set match.

Friday, Nov. 6

In Friday’s matchup against Cheyney, the Raiders had six different players, each with four or more kills, which helped the team win its second straight sweep of the week.

Sophomore Christen Harris had a season-high 10 kills in the match while hitting .429 during the match. Freshman Katie Lemheney had five kills and two digs while hitting .374.

Sophomore Shelby Henry had five kills and four digs. Junior Rebecca Pryor had four kills and no errors. Freshman Keara O'Brien-Pol had four kills and two block assists. Sophomore Brittany Whitacre also had five kills, as well.

Despite the Raiders’ fantastic play as a team, Cheyney was able to keep the match close. Cheyney rallied back from being down 23-18 in the second set to tie the game. Then the Raiders got a kill from Harris and a block from freshman Jenna Hevner to save the set and the sweep.

Saturday, Nov. 7

The Raiders’ win on Saturday against West Chester gave the team its fourth consecutive win. The team has won the past 10 of its 11 games, dating back to Oct. 17. The Raiders clinched the No. 2 seed in the PSAC East thanks to the win and will host a home playoff game on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Annie Goerl had another great game for the Raiders. She had her second double-double of the week with a team-high 14 kills and 14 digs.

Freshman Morgan DeFloria had 13 kills of her own while senior Taylor Gottshall converted 10 of her 19 total kills into attacks. Gottshall also had two block assists.

Six different players had block assists for the Raiders. The group was led by Rebecca Pryor, who had four block assists during the match. Junior Maura Nolan had a great night as well, with a team-high 39 assists and 19 digs.

The Raiders have two more regular road games before the playoffs start. The first will be against Kutztown University on Friday, Nov. 13.

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