Rams Top IUP at First Home Game

Wednesday, September 10th at 5:30 PM, Shepherd University hosted Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the first home game for the Rams at the Butcher Center. Shepherd won the match 3-1, continuing on a bit of a winning streak from the previous weekend.

In the first set against IUP, Shepherd struggled a bit with first team contact--serve and serve recieve. IUP stayed a constant three to four points ahead of SU for most of the set, and won 25-17. However, Kayla Motheral and Kayleigh Helgesen showed impressive performance at the net.

In the next set, Shepherd was the more aggressive team. They came out hot, turning passes into plays into points right away. A serving streak from Val Bour put the Rams up 9-6. After an ace by Taylor Allen, IUP called a time out with the Rams leading 23-17. Shepherd did not lose any momentum, but scored the next two points to win 25-17, ending on a beautiful solo block by Bour.

Coach Guerci says they did not change their strategy or line-up between the first and second sets. The difference was cutting out small ball handling errors and taking care of our side of the court. "All we have to do is keep the ball in play," he says. Clearly, it was the difference between a loss and a win. This speaks to the Rams' ability to adjust under pressure.

Set three was similar to set two in that Shepherd controled the game from the beginning. Both teams were aggressive and scrappy, and no point was given that was not earned. Set three was filled with long volleys and exceptional blocking by Shepherd. Once again, Rams won the final point on a block. A double block from Motheral and Helgesen secured the win at 25-22, much closer than the two previous sets.

With a bit of a lead and high morale, Shepherd took control of the fourth set early on. Both teams played with intensity and faught through fatigue. Blocking was again key for the Rams. Sam Scroggins and Taylor Allen played great defense on the back row, allowing the offense to be most effective. Shepherd won the fourth set 25-22 and the match 3-1. Taylor Belella set all four sets and tallied an impressive 44 assists total for the match.

This brings the Rams overall season record to 3-1 and begins a bit of a winning streak for Shepherd. Shepherd Volleyball will be on the road this weekend to face Wheeling Jesuit and West Liberty, both Mountain East Conference games.

Go Rams!