University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
   Women's Volleyball  

Stories & Highlights
2008 season 

Devils end Season with loss to Deacons (11/9/08)

Bloomfield College put an end to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team's season on Saturday, defeating the visiting Devils, 3-0 in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

USP concludes their season with an 11-18 record and a 9-9 record in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Bloomfield finishes their regular season with a 14-14 mark and a 12-5 league record.

BC was up 12-5 at early on in the first set before USP slowly edged away at the Deacons lead eventually tying the match at 24-24. Bloomfield then scored the next two points to win 26-24. The Deacons took set 2, 25-11 after scoring the first 11 points and not looking back. The Deacons led 11-4 in the final set before USP would even the score at 19 all. BC would take 6 of the final 11 points to win the set, 25-21 and sweep the match.

Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with nine kills and three aces. Juniors Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/ Temple, Pa.) and Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) added six and four kills respectively. Lechner led all players with nine digs while Cardine added seven. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian/ Newark, Del.) had six digs along with 23 assists. Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga HS/Leola, Pa.) and Cardine had two blocks apiece. Puschak also had three aces.

for the match the devils had 24 kills and an attack percentage of .114 (24 kills, 15 errors, 79 attacks). The Deacons recorded 31 kills and an attack percentage of .222 (31-13-81).

Jussara Olivera led Bloomfield with nine kills while Brunna Coutinho added seven. Sonia Perez had 27 assists setting up the Deacon offense while Evelyn Ferreira led the deacons defensively with eight digs.

Tigers End USP's Playoff Hopes with Three-Set Sweep (11/6/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team was eliminated from playoff contention Thursday night as Holy Family University handed them a 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-19) loss at the Campus Center in northeast Philadelphia.

The loss drops the Devils record to 11-17 overall and 9-8 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Coupled with Wilmington University's win over Philadelphia University, USP is now two games behind the Wildcats in the loss column with one game remaining. The Tigers take over second place in the CACC south with the win, improving to 13-4 in league play and 22-13 overall.

Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with six kills while juniors Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/ Temple, Pa.) and Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) added five and four. Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) paced USP on the defensive side with eight digs while sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian/ Newark, Del.) added six. Hickman also led the Devils with 18 assists.

For the match, the Tigers held the Devils to just a .041 attack percentage (20 kills, 17 errors, 74 attacks). On the offensive side, Holy Family hit .200 (27-13-70) while recording more aces, 11-4 and blocks, 4-1.

Katie Hornback and Jen O'Connor led the Holy Family offense with seven kills each. Aimee Drabyn added 19 assists and six service aces. Jordan Beland paced the defense with a match-high 15 digs.

The Devils will play their final match of the season on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Start time is set for noon.

Aces High as Devils Defeat Chestnut Hill (11/4/08)

Andrea Cardine recorded a career high eight service aces and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia had a season-high 19 overall as they defeated Chestnut Hill College 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-6) in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference women's volleyball match Tuesday night at Chestnut Hill's Sorgenti Arena.

The win keeps alive USP's playoff hopes and assures the Devils of a .500 record in conference play as they improve to 9-7 in CACC games with two conference matches remaining. The Devils are now 11-16 overall. Chestnut Hill falls to 2-20 overall and 0-16 in league play.

Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/ Temple, Pa.) recorded five of her eight aces in the first set as the Devils opened an early 16-4 lead and never looked back. Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) later added two aces to go along with seven first set kills to boost USP's lead to 20-7 before settling in for the 25-14 win in set one. Cardine's first ace was the 100th of her college career, becoming just the seventh player in school history to reach 100 aces for their career.

The Griffins gave the Devils a scare in the second set, keeping the score close and using a 7-3 run midway through the set to take a 16-15 lead. Rich then dropped a kill and followed it with two aces to give USP the lead 18-16. The Devils then scored seven of the next 12 points to take the set 25-21.

Riding the momentum of the second set win, the Devils jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the final set en route to taking the match with a 25-6 win in set three. Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga HS/Leola, Pa.) recorded five aces in the Devils opening run with Cardine adding two and sophomore setter Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian/ Newark, Del.) one later in the set.

Rich led the Devils with 11 kills. Cardine complimented her play by adding eight kills and a match-high nine digs to go along with her eight aces. Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) added five kills. Hickman fed the USP attack with 27 assists. Junior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) added eight digs while Rich and Puschak each had two blocks. USP's 19 aces are the most in a match since they had 20 against Caldwell College in 2006 and the third highest total in the history of the program.

CHC's Maryanne Finfrock and Cheryl Quarles shared the team lead with three kills apiece. Setter Katherine Tohanczyn supplied six assists and the Griffins’ lone ace. Defensively, Finfrock totaled three blocks and six digs. Tohanczyn also made six digs while Alyssa Miller added eight digs.

USP returns to action on Thursday, November 6, 2008 when they take on Holy Family University in northeast Philadelphia. Start time is 7:00 p.m.

USP Earns Road Sweep at Felician (11/1/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia hit .246 with 13 service aces as they defeated Felician College 3-0 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference interdivisional volleyball match on Saturday afternoon at Job Gymnasium in Rutherford, New Jersey.

USP won the first set 25-20 and saved a set point in set two to win 27-25 before pulling away late in the third set for the sweep with a 25-15 set win.. The Devils improve to 10-16 overall and 8-7 in league games. Felician falls to 2-26 overall and 2-12 in CACC contests.

Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/ Temple, Pa.) hit .385 and led all hitters with 13 kills for the Devils, who survived 15 service errors. Junior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) added 11 kills and nine digs. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian/ Newark, Del.) directed a balanced offense with 34 assists and seven digs. USP’s middle hitters Christine Puschak (Conestoga HS/Leola, Pa.) and Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) had nine kills apiece while Puschak added four aces and Rich three.

C.C. Cousins paced Felician with seven kills and a .417 attack percentage.

The Devils return to action on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 when they travel to face Chestnut Hill College. Tip off is at 7:00 p.m.

USP Bedeviled by Rams (10/28/08)

Philadelphia University's women's volleyball team won their second match in four days against the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, defeating the Devils 3-0 in their final home game of the season at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The Rams easily took the first set, 25-15. USP kept the match a bit closer in the last two sets, losing 25-19 and 25-21. USP fall to 9-16 overall and 7-7 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Rams move to 16-9 overall and 11-3 in league play while improving their all-time record against the Devils to 21-1. USP's lone win against Philadelphia University came in their first meeting back in 1998.

Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) led USP, recording a double-double with 10 kills and 15 digs. Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) added eight kills while sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) had six. Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led the Devils with two aces. On the defensive side, senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) recorded 22 digs while Lechner and Cardine had 15 and 10 respectively. Cardine also led the Devils with three blocks while Rich added two.

For the match, the Devils had an attack percentage of .082 (30 kills, 20 errors, 122 attacks). The Rams hit .208 (38-11-130).

Katie Miller led the Rams with nine kills while Celena Rendon and Nicole Berkstresser had eight apiece. Natalie Amodei had 14 digs while Miller and Rendon added 12 and 11 respectively. Molly Malone led Philadelphia with three blocks.

The Devils return to action on Saturday when they face Felician College in a CACC divisional crossover match in Rutherford New Jersey. tip off is set for 1:00 p.m.

Rams Hand Devils their Third Straight Loss (10/25/08)

Philadelphia University used a solid attack along with a strong defense at the net to defeat the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team 3-0 Saturday at the Gallagher Center in Philadelphia.

The Rams took the match winning three straight sets with scores of 25-16, 25-17 and 25-17. The loss was the Devils third straight and drops their record to 9-15 overall and 7-6 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Rams improve to 14-9 overall and 9-3 in league contests. Philadelphia also improves their all-time record against the Devils to 20-1, with USP's lone win coming in 1998.

Sophomores Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) and Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) paced the USP offense with six kills apiece while junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added five. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led USP with 15 assists. Defensively, senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) had 14 digs while junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) added 11. Puschak and Rich each had two blocks.

The Devils recorded an attack percentage of .128 (22 kills, 10 errors, 94 attacks). The Rams had an attack percentage of .200 (31-13-90).

Molly Malone led the Rams with nine kills in 10 attempts without an error and a match-high six blocks. Nicole Berkstresser added eight kills. Katie Miller had five aces while Natalie Amodei led Philadelphia with 15 digs.

USP returns to action on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 when they face Philadelphia University in their final regular season home contest. Prior to the match, USP will recognize three volleyball players; Andrea Cardine, Claire Tauschek and Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) who will be playing in their final regular season home match. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

Devils Fall to Millersville (10/23/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team was defeated by Millersville University, 3-0 Thursday evening at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The Marauders took set one, 25-17 and followed that with wins in set two (26-24) and three (25-19) to take the match.The loss drops the Devils record to 9-14. Millersville improves to 7-15 with the win.

Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) led the Devils with eight kills while junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) and sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added seven and six respectively. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led the team with a pair of service aces and 25 assists. On the defensive side, junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) and senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) had 12 digs apiece while Cardine added nine. Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) had three blocks (two solo)

For the match the Devils had 31 kills and an attack percentage of .113 (31 kills, 19 errors, 106 attacks.). Millersville finished the match with 36 kills while hitting .193 (36-13-119).

Emily Bires led Millersville with 10 kills while Meredith Sinback and Allison Huss had seven apiece. Sinback and Brittany Lease had 13 and 12 assists respectively while Laura Navin served up three aces. Navin also led the Marauders with 12 digs. Bires and Hannah Duckworth each had three blocks.

The Devils will face Philadelphia University in their next two matches, hitting the road to take on the Rams on Saturday, October 25, 2008 with a 4:00 p.m. start time and returning home for their final regular season home game on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. Tuesday's game is a 7:00 p.m. start. USP will honor three players who will be playing in their final home match for the Devils prior to the game.

Georgian Court Defeats Devils (10/21/08)

After winning six straight conference matches, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team have now dropped three straight Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contests, losing to Georgian Court University 3-0 Tuesday evening at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

The loss drops the Devils record to 9-13 overall and 7-5 in league games. Defending CACC champions Georgian Court improves to 21-4 overall and 11-0 in CACC matches. Georgian Court won the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-10. The Devils then lost a tough third set, 29-27 to give the Lions the match 3-0.

Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) led USP with seven kills. Sophomores Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) and Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added five kills apiece. On the defensive side, seniors Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) and Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) had 15 and 11 digs respectively. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) added 10. Hickman also led the Devils with 21 assists.

The Lions were led by Ann Casado and Stephanie Rivera who had eight kills apiece. Casado also had two blocks. Ana Cruz and Janelle Murdock led Georgian Court's defense with nine digs each.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, October 23, 2008 when they face Millersville University in a non-league contest at the bobby Morgan Arena. Tip off is 7:00 p.m.

Devils Salvage Tri-match Split with Sweep of Clippers (10/18/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia snapped their three match losing streak on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Concordia College (NY) in their second match of a tri-match at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The win improves the Devils record to 9-12 overall. Concordia drops to 2-19. USP won with set scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 25-10.

In the match, senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) became the first USP volleyball player to record 200 career service aces, getting two aces on her first two serves of the second set giving the Devils a quick 2-0 lead. In reaching the 200-ace plateau, Tauschek becomes just the seventh NCAA Division II player to record at least 2,000 career digs and have at least 200 career aces, and is just the third libero to do so.

Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) recorded a double-double in the match, leading the Devils with 10 kills while adding ten digs. Lechner also recorded a career-high six aces in the match, including four consecutive in the first set. Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) added nine kills while senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) had eight kills and ten digs. Tauschek led all players with 18 digs. Wolfe and sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) also had three aces. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) added 32 assists.

Juliann Gillespie led the Clippers with seven kills while Amanda Byrd had 14 digs.

For the match the Devils hit .229 (40 kills, 16 errors, 105 attacks) while the Clippers had an attack percentage of .031 (17 kills, 14 errors, 97 attacks).

Two quick points off serve from junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) gave the Devils an early 3-1 lead in the opening set. After both teams forced sideouts, Lechner reeled off nine straight points while serving, including five aces, four of which were consecutive as USP opened up a 13-2 lead and never looked back en route to a 25-14 set win.

Tauschek recorded a pair of aces in the first two serves of the second set, reaching the 200 career ace mark as the Devils jumped out to an early lead. Concordia responded with three straight points and the Clippers kept the set close the rest of the way. The Clippers later opened a 12-8 lead before the Devils pulled within one 15-14 as Tauschek was set to serve again. Two more points off serve from Tauschek and the Devils regained the lead 16-15. A 4-1 mini-rally by the Clippers gave them a 19-17 lead before the Devils again pulled within one 20-19 as Puschak was set to serve. Puschak reeled off two aces in the next four rallies as the Devils took a 23-20 lead. Concordia pulled within one 23-22 before USP scored the final two points to win set two.

In the third and final set, the Devils limited the Clippers to just one point off serve in just 11 attempts as they jumped out to an early 8-3 lead and never looked back, winning the third set in convincing fashion 25-10.

It was anything but convincing earlier in the day, as USP dropped a five-set contest to CACC rival Caldwell College 3-2 to fall to 7-4 in league games. USP won the first set, 25-18 before the Cougars rebounded to take the next two 25-21 and 25-22. The Devils rallied to take set four 28-26 before collapsing in the fifth and final set, losing 15-2.

Puschak led the Devils with 17 kills while Lechner and Cardine added nine each. Wolfe had all three USP service aces in the match and led the Devils with 25 digs. Lechner and Tauschek added 23 and 22 digs respectively. Hickman had 43 assists.

For the match the Devils hit .105 (49 kills, 30 errors, 181 attacks) while the Cougars hit .145 (58 kills, 30 errors, 193 attacks).

Amber Mosher led the Cougars with 19 kills while Titilola Alao added 14 and Keesha Francois 11. Kathleen Estes had 38 digs to lead all players. Alao and Francois had five blocks apiece.

The Devils return to action with a home contest against first place Georgian Court University on Tuesday, October 21, 2008. Tip off is 7:00 p.m.

West Chester Sweeps Devils (10/16/08)

West Chester University handed the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia their second consecutive loss Thursday night, defeating the Devils 3-0 at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

The loss drops USP's record to 8-11 overall. West Chester improves to 18-6.

Offensively, the Devils were led by sophomore Christine Puschak's (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) nine kills. Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added a pair of service aces while sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) set up the offense with 13 assists. On the defensive side, senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) was the lone Devil in double figures with ten digs. Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) added seven. Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with five blocks (two solo).

For the match, the Devils recorded a hitting percentage of -.022 (20 kills, 22 errors, 91 attacks). The Golden Rams hit .235 (42 kills, 19 errors, 98 attacks).

Megan Musselman had 11 of WCU's 42 kills to lead all players in the match. Musselman also had a game-high three aces. Lisa Yeasted set 35 assists. Defensively, Jacqueline Vivanco and Kyla Beck recorded 17 and 10 digs respectively while Yeasted and Lacie Becher each had three blocks.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 18, 2008 when they face Caldwell College and Concordia College in a tri-match starting at 12 noon at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

Wildcats Stop USP Win Streak at Seven (10/14/08)

Wilmington University used a solid attack to hand the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team their first loss in 16 days, defeating the Devils 3-0 Tuesday at the Pratt Center in Wilmington, Delaware.

Wilmington won the match with scores of 25-21, 25-18 and 25-17. The Devils fall to 8-10 overall and 7-3 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matches. The loss snaps USP's school-record seven game winning streak. Wilmington improves to 13-11 overall and 6-4 in league contests.

Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) and senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/ Rothschild, Wis.) led the Devils with eight and seven kills respectively. Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added six, while sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) and junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) had five each. Cardine recorded the only ace by the Devils in the match and also led the USP with 15 digs. Senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) had 13 digs while Wolfe and Lechner had 10 apiece. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) had 30 assists.

For the match the Devils had an attack percentage of .073 (35 kills, 27 errors, 100 total attacks). Wilmington's attack percentage was .247 (33 kills, nine errors, 97 total attacks).

A trio of players, Meghan Frick, Caitlin Hess and Ashley Carberry led the Wildcats with seven kills apiece. Frick also led Wilmington with two aces and 12 digs. Kerry Collins had 19 assists to set up the Wildcat offense.

USP returns to action on Thursday, October 16, 2008 when they host West Chester University in a non-league contest. Start time is 7:00 p.m.

Tauschek becomes All-Time Ace Leader as Devils Extend Winning Streak (10/12/08)

Senior Claire Tauschek became the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia’s all-time service ace leader as the women’s volleyball team extended their winning streak to a school-record seven games with a 3-0 win over Nyack College in Nyack, New York on Saturday.

The Devils improve to 8-9 overall and 7-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Nyack falls to 4-13 overall and 3-5 in league play.

Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) entered the match tied with all-time leader Breht Mieckowski '04 with 196 aces. Claire served an ace in the second set to move alone atop the Devils all-time list and later added another to finish the match with 198 career aces. Tauschek is now poised to become the first USDP volleyball player with 200 career service aces and coupled with her 2,000-plus career digs will become just the seventh NCAA Division II volleyball player to reach both milestones.

Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led the Devils with seven kills while juniors Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) and Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) added six and five respectively. For the second consecutive match, USP registered 16 service aces. Puschak, Cardine and sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) each had four while Tauschek and senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/Rothschild, Wis.) had two apiece. Hickman led the Devils with 13 assists while Tauschek was the lone USP player in double figures for digs with 15. Hickman and Wolfe added six digs apiece. Sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) led USP with four blocks (two solo).

Lacey McCabe led Nyack with five kills. Laurie Stewart had three aces and 12 digs.

USP returns to action on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 when they face Wilmington University in a key CACC matchup in Wilmington, Delaware.

Tauschek Records 2,000th Career Dig as Devils Sweep Griffins (10/9/08)

Claire Tauschek became the first women's volleyball player in school history to record 2,000 career digs as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia swept a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference volleyball match from Chestnut Hill College, 3-0 at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia Thursday evening.

The Devils won the match with scores of 25-7, 25-11 and 25-10. The win is their sixth straight, equaling their longest win streak since the 2005 season. USP is now 7-9 overall and 6-2 in CACC games. Chestnut Hill falls to 1-13 and 0-9 in league play.

Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) entered the game needing 19 digs to reach the 2,000 plateau and become the first Philadelphia-area Division II player to reach the mark and the 36th women's volleyball player in NCAA Division II history to do so. Claire recorded six digs in the first set and added five more in the second, leaving her eight shy of the mark at the start of the third and final set. The senior libero recorded four digs early in the set and was still three shy when she began to serve with the Devils leading 22-9. Tauschek's first serve dropped in for an ace, her second of the game and made the score 23-9. The ace also tied a school record for career service aces with 196. The Griffins regained serve on the next volley. USP countered with a sideout and Tauschek added another dig. On the final volley, Tauschek recorded her last two digs of the match, her 18th and 19th; the last a diving save to keep the ball in play as the Devils scored the final point to win the set 25-10 and the match 3-0.

Joining Tauschek in double figures for digs was junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) with 10. Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led all players with nine kills. Cardine added six as did sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) . Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) had five kills on the night. Rich also recorded four blocks while Puschak had two. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led the Devils with 22 assists and five aces.

Marianne Finfrock led the Griffins with three kills. Finfrock, Alyssa Miller and Katherine Tohanczyn each had eight digs. Tohanczyn set eight assists to lead Chestnut Hill.

The Devils limited Chestnut Hill to just three total points off serve in the first two sets and seven for the entire match. In the opening set, 19 of the Devils 25 points came while serving with Hickman serving ten straight points to turn an 11-4 lead into a 21-4 advantage before winning the set 25-7.

The Griffins scored the first point of the second set before Cardine and senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/Rothschild, Wis.) combined for eight points off serve as part of a 10-1 run to give the Devils an eight point lead 10-2. USP led 17-7 before Chestnut Hill recorded their first point off serve. The Devils finished off the set with an 8-3 run to win 25-11 as Cardine dropped the final kill of the set.

USP had 12 kills with just one attack error in the final set as Tauschek reached her milestone on the final volley. Six different players recorded a kill in the last set with Rich dropping down four of them.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 11, 2008 when they travel to New York to take on Nyack College in a CACC match starting at 1:30 p.m.

Devils Net Fifth Straight Win (10/7/08)

The number five played a role in Tuesday evenings women's volleyball match at the Bobby Morgan Arena as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia defeated Goldey Beacom College in five sets, 3-2 to earn their fifth consecutive victory.

Goldey Beacom took the first set, 25-19 before the Devils rebounded to win sets two and three 25-22 and 25-8. The Lightning struck for a win in set four 25-21, forcing a decisive fifth set which saw USP prevail 15-8 to take the match.

USP now improves to 5-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games and 6-9 overall. Goldey Beacom falls to 6-10 overall and 2-7 in league contests. The Devils now have a five game winning streak, their longest since the 2006 season. All five wins have also come at home.

Sophomores Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) and Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils attack with 14 and 10 kills respectively. Puschak also had four aces and three blocks (one solo). Defensively the Devils had five players with 10 or more digs, led by senior Claire Tauschek's (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) 32. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) added 18 while junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) had 16 along with two blocks, Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) had 15 and senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/Rothschild, Wis.) 11. Hickman led the Devils with 41 assists.

Goldey Beacom was led by Chantel Pierre's 13 kills and two blocks. Roni Shaner added two aces , 17 assists and 12 digs. Christine Hudock led the Lightning with 21 digs while A.J. Hicks added 15.

USP as a team netted a season-high 12 aces, four of which came in the final fifth set. Cardine notched the first ace of the set, giving the Devils a 4-1 lead. Three rallies later, Lechner's ace put the Devils up 6-2. Puschak later added the last of her game-high four aces, giving the Devils a 10-5 lead. Wolfe tallied the final ace of the set, providing the match winning point of a 15-8 set win.

After splitting the first two sets, the Devils came out and dominated set three, winning with a score of 25-8. USP limited the Lightning to just one point while serving during the entire set while scoring 17 points off their own serve, including six straight from Cardine to give the Devils a 23-7 lead. Three rallies later, Lechner served an ace to give the Devils the set, 25-8 and a 2-1 lead in the match.

USP ran off six straight points in the second set to erase an 18-16 deficit en route to a 25-22 set win. A double block by Rich and Cardine put the Devils up 23-21 before both teams exchanged serve. With the Lightning serving and USP leading 24-22, Wolfe put down a kill to give the Devils a 25-22 set win and even the match at 1-1.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, October 9, 2008 when they host Chestnut Hill College. First volley is set for 7:00 p.m.

Devils Sweep Chargers for Fourth Straight Win (10/4/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team won their fourth straight match on Saturday, sweeping Dominican College 3-0 in a Central atlantic Collegiate Conference match at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

With the win, the Devils improve to 5-9 overall and 4-2 in league games. USP is also 5-1 in their last six matches. Dominican College falls to 0-16 overall and 0-6 in league play. USP won the first set, 25-18, the second set 25-16 and took the third 25-17.

Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) led all players with nine kills in 20 attack attempts, all without recording an attack error (.450 attack percentage). Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added eight kills while sophomores Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) and Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) had seven and six respectively. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) recorded a double-double with 27 assists and had 10 digs on the defensive side. Senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) led the Devils with 19 digs while Lechner added 11. Rich and Puschak each recorded two blocks in the match.

Kinikia Collier led the Chargers with eight kills while Akirrah Cooper and Kerianne Dudley each had five. Collier also had 13 digs. Catherine Giordano added 10 digs while Ashley Simpson had two blocks. Kaitlin Earl led the Chargers with 18 assists.

In the opening set, Dominican kept the score close, trailing by one 5-4 by USP's Hickman reeled off a pair of aces as part of a five-point run to give the Devils a 10-4 lead. The Chargers followed with a 6-2 run to tie the score at 14-14 before the Devils forced a sideout and Puschak served four straight points to give the Devils a 19-14 lead. Dominican got as close as 22-18 before Tauschek served out the set and Cardine recorded the set-winning kill to give USP a 25-18 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Chargers jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the second set before four straight service points from Cardine gave the Devils a 6-3 lead. DC charged back to tie the score at 7-7 before surrendering the serve back to the Devils. Puschak followed with four straight points to boost USP's lead to 12-7. The Chargers could get no closer than three, 17-14 as the first service rotation concluded. The Devils put the set in the books with an 8-2 spurt to win 25-16. Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/Rothschild, Wis.) served the final two points for the Devils.

The Devils found themselves trailing 9-7 in the third set before regaining the serve and scoring twice to take a 10-9 lead at the end of the first service rotation. Dominican rallied to tie the score at 10-10 before the Devils went on a 5-1 run to take a 15-11 lead, getting two points off serve from Wolfe and another from Cardine. USP maintained the lead the rest of the way as the Chargers could only pull within three 17-14 and 20-17 before Tauschek served out the final four points of the match to give the Devils a 25-17 win to take the match 3-0. Puschak recorded the final kill for the Devils.

USP returns to action on Tuesday, October 7, 7, 2008 when they host Goldey Beacom College at the Bobby Morgan Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Devils go the Distance to Defeat Wildcats (9/30/08)

For the third consecutive match, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women’s volleyball team needed the full five sets to defeat their opponent. On Tuesday night, the Devils held off a come from behind charge from Wilmington University to defeat the Wildcats, 3-2 at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The win, USP’s third straight, improves their record to 4-9 overall and 3-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) games. Wilmington falls to 8-10 overall and 1-3 in league contests.

Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led the Devils with 21 kills, her second consecutive match with 20 or more kills. Junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added 14. Setting up the USP offense was sophomore Sarah Hickman, who recorded a season high 48 assists. Defensively, the Devils recorded a season high 129 digs, with senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) leading the way with 34. Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) added 32 and Lechner had 27. Hickman and senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/Rothschild, Wis.) also reached double figures digs with 15 and 12 respectively. Puschak led the Devils with four blocks (two solo) while sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.), seeing her first action since an ankle injury sidelined her nearly two weeks ago, added three blocks.

Offensively, Wilmington was paced by Caitlin Hess and Megan Frick. Hess recorded 19 kills while Frick added 14. Kerry Collins led the Wildcats with 27 assists while Christina Lessard added 18. The Wildcats also recorded over 100 digs, notching 112 with Brittany O’Neill getting 41 of them. Frick added 22 digs and Adrienne Melvin 20. Ashley Carberry led all players with five blocks (four solo).

The Devils took the first two sets, 27-25 and 25-23 before the Wildcats rallied to win sets three and four 25-13 and 25-16. USP then took the fifth and final set 15-13 to capture the match.

In the opening set, the Wildcats looked well on their way to winning, keeping the score close throughout and then putting together three straight points to take a 24-21 lead. Wilmington was then called for three straight ball handling errors, allowing USP to tie the game at 24-24. USP added another point to lead 25-24 before the Wildcats regained the serve, tying the game at 25-all. The Devils forced a sideout, regaining the serve and the lead 26-25. Tauschek then served the final point as USP prevailed 27-25.

Neither team led by more than two points throughout most of the first set with the score knotted at 20-20 after completing the second service rotation. USP then scored twice to take a 22-20 lead before settling in for the 25-22 set two win.

As solid as USP looked in the first two sets, they were the complete opposite in the next two as the Wildcats led nearly wire-to-wire in both frames, winning set three 25-23 and set four 25-16. The Devils combined for just 15 kills in the two sets, equaling the total they recorded in set two alone.

In the fifth and deciding set, the Devils jumped out to an 8-4 lead, not allowing the Wildcats to earn a single point off serve before switching sides. After the switch, the Wildcats ran off four straight points to tie the game at 8-8 before Puschak put the ball away for one of her six kills in the set, breaking the run and giving the Devils a 9-8 lead. Tauschek then served two straight points to give the Devils an 11-8 lead before the Wildcats rallied to pull within one 11-10. Neither team recorded a point off serve over the next six rallies as the Devils moved within one point of the match 14-13. In the next rally, with Lechner serving, the Wildcats hit the ball long to give the Devils the set 15-13 and the match 3-2. Puschak had six of the Devils eight kills, in the set while not making a single attack error in eight attempts.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 4, 2008 when they host Dominican College at the Bobby Morgan Arena. First volley is set for noon.

Tauschek Sets Record as Devils Rally to Defeat Penmen (9/28/08)

Senior Claire Tauschek became the all-time digs leader in school history as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women’s volleyball team rallied from a 0-2 deficit to defeat the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire University 3-2 Saturday evening at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

The win completed a two-match sweep of Saturday’s tri-match as the Devils also came from behind to defeat Post University 3-2 in the opening match of the day. The two wins give the Devils a 3-9 overall record and the win against Post improved their record to 2-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games.

Tauschek (Middleton HS/Verona, Wis.) entered Saturday’s tri-match with 1, 850 career digs, 30 shy of the all-time mark of 1,880 set by Emily Roth set from 2002-05. Claire led the Devils with 25 digs in the match against Post, leaving her just five shy of the mark. After recording just two digs in the first set against Southern New Hampshire, Tauschek had three digs in the early portion of the second set to tie the record before getting her 1,881st dig midway through the second set. Claire added 15 more digs before the match was over and stands alone at the top of USP’s all-time dig list with 1,896.

Tauschek shared team-high dig honors with junior Kirsten Lechner (Depaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) as they both recorded 21 digs in the match. Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led all players with 20 kills and five service aces. Puschak also had a team high four blocks (three solo). Junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic HS/Temple, Pa.) recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic HS/Rothschild, Wis.) added 13 digs while junior Kayleen Piszczek (Holy Name HS/Sinking Spring, Pa.) had 12 digs. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) set up the USP offense with 42 assists. Hickman also recorded 16 digs.

Stephanie Dluginski and Allison Murphy led the Penmen with 17 and 12 kills respectively. Murphy added 12 digs while Ashley Dingle led all players with 28 digs. Danielle Coffey recorded six blocks while Dluginski added five.

Back to the match, the Devils dropped the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-23 and trailed 16-10 in the third before forcing a side-out to regain serve. Puschak then served seven straight points to give the Devils an 18-16 lead before the Penmen tied the set again at 18-all. After USP took a 19-18 lead, SNHU rallied for four straight points to lead 23-19. A missed attack by the Penmen gave the Devils the serve and pulled USP within three 23-20. Lechner then served out the set as USP score five straight points to take the set 25-23.

In the fourth set, the Devils trailed early 13-6 after the first service rotation and still trailed by three 19-16 after the second rotation was completed. USP then scored a side out and added another point to pull within one, 19-18. Both teams exchanged points over the next several rallies with the Penmen again pulling within two points of winning the match with a 23-21 lead. After a side out brought the Devils back within one 23-22, Lechner served two straight points to give the Devils a 24-23 lead. The score continued to seesaw back and forth until the Devils were serving with a 27-26 lead. Wolfe then served the final point of the set to give USP a 28-26 win and even the match at two sets apiece.

The fifth set was all USP as they took a lead from the first volley and never looked back, leading by as many as four points 10-6. SNHU rallied to pull within one 12-11 before Wolfe served the final two points of the match to give the Devils the set 15-11 and the win 3-2. Puschak had six kills in seven attempts in the set as the Devils made a total of eight kills without an error (8-0-26). The come-from behind 3-2 win was the Devils first such victory since the 2004 season when they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Holy Family 3-2.

Come from behind was also the tone of the day as USP had to rally from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Post University 3-2 in the opening match and earn their second conference win of the season. Post took the first set 25-14 before USP evened the match with a 25-17 win in set two. A 25-16 set three win put Post on top 2-1 but the Devils again evened the match with a 25-23 win in set four. Post then took a 6-1 lead in the fifth and deciding set before the Devils outscored them 14-1 the rest of the way to win the set 15-7 and take the match 3-2.

Puschak led the Devils with 14 kills while Cardine and Lechner added 10 apiece. Lechner added 20 digs to record a double-double. Tauschek had a match high 25 digs and a career best nine kills. Wolfe added 14 digs while Hickman chipped in 10 while recording a match-high 45 assists.

Post was led by Kerry Smith’s 18 kills and 17 digs. Natasha Loving added 15 kills while Rosie Fernandez led the Eagles with 18 digs. Taylor Doyle had 40 assists setting up the Eagle offense.

The Devils return to action on Tuesday when they face Wilmington University at the Bobby Morgan Arena. First volley is set for 7:00 p.m.

Devils Strike Down Lightning for First Win of Season (9/24/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team earned their first win of the season Tuesday night as they defeated Goldey Beacom College 3-0.

The win improves the Devils record to 1-8 overall and 1-1 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Lightning fall to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in league play.

The Devils got a balanced attack effort with five players recording three or more kills led by sophomore Christine Puschak's (Conestoga Valley HS/ Leola, Pa.) nine. Puschak had only one attack error in 19 attempts for a .421 hitting percentage. Juniors Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic/ Temple, Pa.) and Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) added seven and five kills respectively. Sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) set up the USP offense with 24 assists. Lechner and senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/ Verona, Wis.) led the Devils with two aces apiece. Defensively Tauschek had a team-high 10 digs. Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic/Rothschild, Wis.) added nine while Cardine recorded eight. Hickman paced USP with four blocks (one solo).

The Lightning were led by Chalea Johnson's nine kills and two blocks. Chantel Pierre added six kills. Christine Hudock paced Goldey Beacom with 17 digs. Roni Shaner added nine digs while leading the team with 22 assists.

With the opening set tied at 4-4, the Devils ran off five straight points to take a 9-4 lead and never looked back, winning by a score of 25-20. Puschak had seven of her nine kills in the first set as the Devils recorded 15 en route to a .371 attack percentage (15-2-35).

In set number two, the Lightning jumped out to a 7-4 lead before the Devils went on a 7-2 run to take an 11-9 lead. USP then scored four of the next five points to jump out to a 15-10 advantage and force a Lightning timeout. Goldey Beacom pulled within three 16-13 before the Devils increased the lead to six, 19-13, capped off by a Wolfe service ace. USP still led by six. 20-14 when a service error by GBC's Johnson returned the serve to the Devils and gave USP a 21-14 lead. Junior Kayleen Piszczek (Holy Name HS/Sinking Spring, Pa.) then served three straight points to give the Devils their largest lead of the set 24-14 before closing out the set with a 25-16 win.

In the final set, the Lightning scored the first three points to lead 3-0 before the Devils rallied with five straight to regain control 5-3. GBC pulled within one 6-5 before a 6-1 USP run gave the Devils a 12-6 lead. The Lightning then struck for a 10-4 run of their own to pull even at 16-16 before two straight service points from Wolfe gave the Devils an 18-16 lead. Goldey Beacom kept the game closed and pulled within one 19-18 before kills by Cardine and Lechner and an ace by Lechner boosted the Devils lead to four 23-19. GBC then scored the next two points before Pierre committed a service error to bring the set to match point. On the ensuing rally, Puschak and Cardine successfully blocked Johnson's attack attempt to give the Devils a 25-21 win and the match 3-0.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, September 25, 2008 when they travel north to Lakewood, New Jersey to take on defending CACC champions Georgian Court University. The match is slated to start at 7:00 p.m.

Devils go Winless at LeMoyne Tournament (9/16/08)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team failed to record a win in their four matches on Saturday and Sunday at the LeMoyne University Tournament in Syracuse, New York, falling to host LeMoyne and Caldwell College on Saturday and University of Bridgeport and Stonehill College on Sunday.

The four losses drop USP's record to 0-7 on the season.

The Devils opened the weekend with a 3-0 loss to host LeMoyne University. The Dolphins took the first two sets by identical 25-17 scores and closed out the match with a 25-8 set three win. Le Moyne improved to 3-3 with the win.

Sophomore Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/ Leola, Pa.) led the Devils with nine kills. Senior Megan Wolfe (Newman Catholic/Rothschild, Wis.), junior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) and sophomore Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) each added four. Defensively , Lechner led the Devils with five digs while Rich had two blocks. Senior Claire Tauschek (Middleton HS/ Verona, Wis.) added two aces while sophomore Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led USP with 20 assists to set up the Devils' offense.

Elizabeth Cheek led LeMoyne with 10 kills, five aces and six digs. Caitlin Richardson added seven kills and two blocks.

Later in the day against Caldwell, the Devils won the first two sets of their match against Caldwell College, 25-17 and 25-17. The Cougars then took the next three, defeating the Devils 25-18 in set three, 25-10 in set four and 15-12 in the final set.

Rich and Puschak led the Devils with 10 and nine kills respectively. Tauschek led all players with 17 digs and Lechner added 10. Hickman added 24 assists while junior Andrea Cardine (Reading Central Catholic/ Temple, Pa.) added four aces. Rich led the Devils with five blocks (two solo).

Amber Mosher led the Cougars with 13 kills while Keesha Francois added 10. Laura Ciesla had 17 digs while Lauren Roth added 14. Francois also led Caldwell with three blocks.

On Sunday, USP opened the day with a 3-1 loss to Stonehill College. The Skyhawks took the first two sets 25-18 and 25-13 before the Devils rebounded to win 25-19 in set three. USP hung tough with Stonehill in set four before succumbing 26-24. Stonehill improved to 8-2 with the win.

Cardine led USP with 13 kills. Rich added 10 while Lechner had eight. Tauschek again led the Devils with 15 digs. Rich added three blocks while Hickman recorded 27 assists.

Katherine Masson led the Skyhawks with 12 kills while Erin Johnson and Laura Huselton each had nine. Huselton also led Stonehill with seven aces amongst the 16 recorded by the Skyhawks. Four different Skyhawk players tied for the team lead in digs with five.

The Devils closed out the tournament, losing in three straight sets to the University of Bridgeport, 25-18, 25-16 and 25-11. The Purple Knights improved to 7-4 with the win.

Puschak led USP with 10 kills while Rich added six. Defensively Tauschek led all players with nine digs. Wolfe and Cardine recorded two aces apiece and Hickman dished out 20 assists.

Ivana Kovacevic-Jurasin led Bridgeport with 11 kills. Olga Sidorova added eight to go along with two blocks. J.J. Edwards had four aces while Milica Micovic had six digs.

For her efforts during the four matches, Tauschek was named to the All-Tournament team in voting done by the participating teams coaches.

USP returns to action on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 when the open their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference slate against Holy Family University. First volley is set for 7:00 p.m.