PITTSBURG, KAN. -- The 13th-ranked Truman volleyball team dug an early hole on the road but rebounded to pick up its fifth straight win on Saturday afternoon at Pittsburg State, defeating the Gorillas, 3-2 (16-25, 23-25, -17, -20, 15-11).
Senior Allison Barker had a team-high 17 kills – one shy of her career-high – and added 11 digs to help the Bulldogs improve to 12-2 overall on the season (5-1 MIAA). Sophomore Heather Hargadine added 13 kills and tied a career-best with 25 digs, while sophomore Emily Briseno chipped in ten kills and four blocks.
Truman led 12-8 in the first set before the Gorillas (4-9, 1-5 MIAA) closed out the frame on a 17-4 run. PSU then took a 2-0 lead into the intermission, winning the second set by two points.
But the Bulldogs responded, picking up an eight-point third set win and a five-point victory in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set.
Truman trailed just once in the fifth, at 8-7, before Barker took over – having a hand in four of Truman’s next five points to put the purple and white on top for good at 12-8. Barker added two more kills, bringing her set total to six, closing out the match and keeping the Bulldogs atop the MIAA.
The Bulldogs out-hit PSU, .187 to .097, but allowed the Gorillas to stay in the match by committing 12 service errors while turning just three aces. Both Hargadine and senior libero Casey Bruno (20) hit the 20-dig mark for the ’Dogs, while senior Ashley Petak recorded her second-straight double-double with a team-best 27 assists and 14 digs.
Truman will take the next week off, preparing for the Washburn Crossover event, held next Friday and Saturday (Oct. 1-2) in Topeka, Kan. The Bulldogs will take on Angelo (Texas) State and Tarleton (Texas) State from the Lone Star Conference on Friday before facing St. Edward’s (Texas) of the Heartland Conference and Abilene Christian (Texas) of the LSC to close out the event on Saturday.
(Courtesy Truman State Athletic Department)
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