University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
   Women's Volleyball  

Stories & Highlights
2009 season 

Devils Fall to Lions in CACC Playoffs (11/10/09)

Georgian Court University continued its dominance over the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team, ousting the Devils from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference playoffs with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 26-24) win Tuesday night at the GCU Wellness Center in Lakewood, New Jersey.

With the loss, the Devils conclude their 2009 season with a 10-16 record. Georgian Court, winners of 71 straight conference matches and now ten straight over the Devils, improve to 25-9.

Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with nine kills while junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added seven and finished the match without an attack error in 16 attempts for a .438 hitting percentage. Puschak and freshman Sheryse Taylor (Boys and Girls HS/Brooklyn, N.Y.) has two aces apiece while junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del. led USP with 23 assists. Hickman also led the Devils with seven digs. Freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added six digs to the Devils' defensive effort. Rich had three solo blocks.

Tuesday's CACC quarterfinal match was also the final match in the career of senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.).. Lechner had four kills and three digs in the match. Kirsten closes out her career as having the fifth most kills in program history with 586, and the seventh best kills/set average (1.83). Lechner also finished her career ranked eighth on the Devils all-time service ace list with 106 and moved into fifth place on USP's all-time digs list with 954, passing former USP great Breht Mieckowski. Kirsten's digs/set average of 2.97 is the fourth best mark in school history. Lechner appeared in 96 matches over the past four seasons for the Devils.

Janelle Murdock had nine kills to pace the Lions. Lisamary Figueroa had a pair of service aces and led the team with 27 assists. Ana Cruz had 17 digs while Talita Rocha added five blocks. The Lions will play Dominican College in the CACC Semi-Finals on Friday night at Georgian Court. Caldwell will play Philadelphia University in the other semi-final match.

Devils Defeat Post to Clinch Playoff Spot (11/7/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team won their tenth conference match of the season on Saturday, defeating Post University 3-0 (29-27, 26-24, 27-25) to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference southern division.

After defeating Post, the Devils dropped their second match of the tri-match to NYIT, 3-0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-12). USP finished the regular season with a 10-9 conference record and a 10-15 overall mark. Post University finishes with a 9-10 conference mark and a 9-24 overall record. The Devils will open the post season as the #4 seed in the CACC South and face Georgian Court University on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 in Lakewood, New Jersey.

A trio of Devils reached double figures in kills, led by senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.). Lechner had 11 kills while juniors Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) and Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) had ten kills apiece. Lechner added 18 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. Freshmen Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) had 16 digs while freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added 13. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led the Devils with 32 assists. Leland added four aces.

Elizabeth Knight led Post with 13 kills while Teresea Hodges added 10. Knight also had five aces. Kelly Hayes led the Eagles with 16 digs while Hodges and Taylor Doyle had 12 apiece. Doyle and Monique Chance had three blocks apiece.

USP finished the match with a slight advantage in kills 39-35 and outhit the Eagles .160 (39-18-131) to .146 (35-17-123). The Devils had ten aces to the Eagles seven and finished with 67 digs to Post's 62. The Eagles held a 5-2 advantage in team blocks.

In the Devils final regular season match against NYIT, Rich led all players recording ten of the Devils 18 kills. Hickman and Wooden added seven digs apiece while rich and Puschak had three blocks apiece. NYIT was led by Shelby Klein's eight kills.

Holy Family University Hands Devils Another Defeat (11/03/09)

Holy Family University dimmed the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia's playoff hopes Tuesday night as they handed the Devils their second straight loss, 3-1 ( 25-22, 23-25, 25-14, 25-14) at Holy Family's Campus Center in northeast Philadelphia.

The loss drops the Devils record to 9-14 overall and 9-9 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) matches. USP is now tied with Wilmington University for the fourth and final playoff spot in the CACC southern division and face a must-win game at Post University on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth.

Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with ten kills while Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added nine. Freshmen Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) and Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) recorded ten digs apiece. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) had 26 assists, setting up the USP offense.

Katie Hornback led the Tigers with 13 kills while Jill Keeve added nine. Hornback also recorded five aces while Brittany LaCouture added three. Jordan Beland led all players with 17 digs. LaCouture also had four blocks.

The Tigers recorded nine more kills then the Devils, 41-32 and outhit their opponent .229 (41-16-109) to .078 (32-24-102). Both teams recorded 41 digs but the Tigers also held an advantage on the blocks, 8-4 and had ten more aces than the Devils, 12-2.

The Devils close out the regular season with a tri-match at Post University on Saturday, November 7, 2009. USP takes on Post at 1 p.m. and New york Institute of Technology at 3:00 p.m.

Deacons Defeat Devils in Five (10/31/09)

Christine Puschak and Cady Rich combined for 32 kills and senior Kirsten Lechner recorded a double-double but the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team lost to Bloomfield College 3-2 (25-15, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14) Saturday at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The loss drops the Devils record to 9-13 overall and 9-8 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Bloomfield improves 8-18 overall and 8-10 in league play. Despite the loss, the Devils are still tied for third place in the CACC southern division as both Holy Family University (9-8 CACC) and Wilmington University (9-9 CACC) lost their matches today.

Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led the Devils with 18 kills while Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added 14. Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.), playing in her final collegiate home match, recorded 11 kills and 33 digs for her tenth double-double of the season. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) also had a double-double, recording 46 assists setting up the USP offense to go along with 18 digs. The Devils placed six players in double figures in digs, led by Lechner's 33. Freshmen Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) and Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) added 21 and 20 respectively while sophomore Kaylei DeHart (St. Mark's HS/Wilmington, Del.) and freshman Sheryse Taylor (Boys and Girls HS/Brooklyn, N.Y.) had 10 digs apiece.

The Pereira sisters, Ursula and Uerequenia paced the Deacons with 19 and 18 kills respectively. Evelyn Ferreira led BC with 27 digs while Brittany DeVries added 25. Suzy Zanette had 39 assists setting up the deacon offense and tallied 13 digs as well. ursula Pereira added 14 digs and four blocks.

As a team the devils had five more kills (59) than the Deacons (54) but hit just .142 (59-30-204) to BC's .171 (54-20-199). USP held the advantage in digs 116-104 while BC had six team blocks to USP's two. The Devils committed 14 service errors to the Deacons eight.

The Devils return to action on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 when they travel up I-95 to take on Holy Family University in a CACC southern division clash at HFU's Campus Center. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.

Devils Back on Winning Track with Victory over Griffins (10/27/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team got back on the winning track with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-17) sweep of Chestnut Hill College Tuesday night at the Sorgenti Arena on Chestnut Hill College's campus.

The win improves the Devils record to 9-12 overall and 9-7 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Griffins fall to 4-22 overall and 0-15 in league play. The win also moves the Devils one full game ahead of Wilmington University in the chase for the final playoff spot in the CACC southern division.

Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with 11 kills while recording just one error in 16 attacks for a .625 hitting percentage, setting a new single match record for best attack percentage in the process. Rich also added six blocks. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added nine kills. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) paced the Devils with 24 assists, five aces and nine digs while freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) also added five aces and recorded eight digs. As a team the Devils hit .200 (32-17-75)

Katherine Tohanczyn led the Griffins with four kills while Elisabeth DiGregorio added seven digs.

The Devils jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening set before the Griffins scored six straight to cut the lead to two 8-6. The Devils still led by two 16-14 when they went on a 6-1 run to lead by seven 22-15. Junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added two kills to make the score 24-16 and freshman Sheryse Taylor (Boys and Girls HS/Brooklyn, N.Y.) closed things out with a kill to give the Devils an early 1-0 leading the match, winning the first set 25-17. Puschak and Lechner had four kills apiece in the set.

In the second set, Lechner (four kills) and Rich (five kills) combined for a perfect nine kills in nine attempts as the Devils dominated, winning 25-11. USP jumped out to a 10-1 lead with the help of five attack errors by Chestnut Hill. Two aces by Hickman later made the score 15-4 and consecutive kills by Puschak and Rich gave the Devils a ten point lead 18-8. USP closed out the set with a kill by Lechner, two aces from Wooden and another Lechner kill.

USP again jumped out to an early lead in the third and final set with a 7-2 advantage. An ace from Hickman later made the score 11-6 and the Devils continued to increase the margin, getting three of their next four points of Griffin errors to lead 15-8. Chestnut Hill then went on a 7-2 run to pull within two 17-15 before two straight attack errors gave the Devils a 19-15 lead. Rich followed with a kill and the Griffins followed with another pair of errors making the score 22-15. Lechner added a kill and Wooden a service ace to bring the contest to match point 24-16. After a USP service error, Puschak had an unassisted kill to close out the match with a 25-17 set three win and complete the 3-0 sweep.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 31, 2009 for their final regular season home game, taking on Bloomfield College. The game will be the final home match for senior Kirsten Lechner. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

Caldwell Defeats USP 3-1 (10/24/09)

The Caldwell College Cougars handed the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team their second consecutive loss Saturday afternoon, defeating the Devils 3-1 (25-20, 25-27, 25-17, 25-22) at the Newman Center in Caldwell, New Jersey.

The loss drops USP's record to 8-12 overall and 8-7 in Central Atlantic collegiate conference games. Caldwell improves to 14-11 overall and 12-3 in league play.

A trio of USP players reached double figures in kills, led by junior Christine Puschak's (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) 14. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) and junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added 13 apiece. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) added 44 assists, tying a season-high for a four-set match. Defensively, Rich had four blocks to pace the Devils while freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) and Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added 16 and 15 digs respectively. Lechner added 11 digs to record her ninth double-double of the season.

Susan McDonough led the Cougars with 15 kills while Keesha Francois added 10. Lauren Roth had 39 assists and Maddy Amon added three aces. Amon also led the Cougars with 15 digs while cory roesing chipped in 13. McDonough also had two blocks.

The Devils outhit the Cougars .169 (47-24-136) to .162 (49-24-154). Caldwell did hold a 7-4 advantage in aces while the Devils out-dug (60-57) and out-blocked (6-4) the Cougars.

USP returns to action on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 when they take on Chestnut Hill College in a CACC Southern Division clash at Chestnut Hill. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.

Lions Sweep Devils (10/22/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team had their modest two-game winning streak snapped Thursday night as Georgian court University defeated the Devils 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-20) at the GCU Wellness Center in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The loss drops the Devils record to 8-11 overall and 8-6 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Georgian Court improves to 18-8 overall and 13-0 in league play.

Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with 10 kills while junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added seven. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) had 23 assists setting up the USP offense. Defensively freshmen Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) and Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) led USP with 11 and nine digs respectively. Rich had three blocks. Wooden and freshman Sheryse Taylor (Boys and Girls HS/Brooklyn, N.Y.) had three aces apiece.

Janelle Murdock led the Lions with eight kills while Stephanie Rivera added seven. Lisamary Figueroa had 23 assists while Lisette Zayas had three aces. Ana Cruz had 16 digs. Rivera led all players with five blocks.

As a team the Devils were out hit .244 (34-12-90) to .148 (26-13-88). USP recorded three more aces than the Lions, 10-7 but had five fewer digs (49-44). The Lions also had 7.5 team blocks while the Devils recorded five.

The Devils return to action when the travel to Caldwell, New Jersey to take on the Cougars of Caldwell College on Saturday, October 24, 2009. first serve is set for 3:00 p.m.

Devils Strike Down Lightning (10/20/09)

Cady Rich and Sarah Hickman both broke their own three-match school records as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team completed a sweep of the season series against Goldey-Beacom College with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-18) win Tuesday night at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The win improves the Devils record to 8-10 overall and 8-5 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matches. USP's eight conference wins, equals their 2008 total and moves the Devils a 1/2 game ahead of Holy Family University into third place in the CACC Southern Division standings. The top four teams in the division qualify for playoffs. Goldey Beacom drops to 8-17 overall and 3-12 in league play.

Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) led all players with 17 kills, breaking her USP's three-set match mark of 16 which she set just three days earlier against Concordia. Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) recorded 36 assists, setting up the Devils' offense, which also breaks her own USP three-set match record of 35 set earlier in the season against Goldey-Beacom on September 22, 2009. Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added eight kills and a pair of service aces. Defensively, Rich led all players with six blocks (three solo) while Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) and Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) recorded 18 and 15 digs respectively. Leland also had three aces. As a team the Devils hit .191 (41-19-115).

The Lightning were led by Monica Dempsey's seven kills, 12 assists and 11 digs. A.J. Hicks added 10 digs while Chalea Johnson had four blocks (three solo). The lightning hit -.010 as a team (18-19-98).

The Devils jumped out to an early lead in the first set only to have the Lightning stick around and keep things close, taking advantage of several USP errors leading to 14 of Goldey-Beacom's first 18 points. However the Devils kept the lead by the slimmest of margins, one point, 19-18. USP later opened a two point lead 23-21 before the Lightning rallied to tie the game at 23-23. A kill from Lechner made the score 24-23 and an attack error by GBC gave the devils the set, 25-23.

Rich turned in a solid performance in the second set, recording eight kills in ten attacks without an error as the Devils opened up an 12-3 lead and made it stand for a 25-13 win. Sheryse Taylor (Boys and Girls HS/Brooklyn, N.Y.) added three kills in the set, her first kills of the season in ten matches played.

In the third set, the Lightning held the early advantage, jumping out to an 8-5 lead and keeping the three-point gap to lead 13-10 before the Devils began to rally. A kill by Leland made the score 13-11. the Devils followed with three straight kills (one by Rich and two by Lechner), an ace from Leland and GBC attack error and a another kill from Lechner to take a 17-13 lead. The Devils widened the lead to 23-16 before each team exchanged serves to bring the the score to match point 24-17. A kill by GBC's Dempsey made the score 24-18 and gave the Lightning the serve. On the ensuing rally, Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) laid down a kill to give the the Devils the set, 25-18 and the match 3-0. Lechner finished the set with five kills while Puschak and Rich had three apiece.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, October 22, 2009 when they travel to Lakewood, New Jersey to take on three-time defending CACC champion Georgian Court University.

Devils Back on Winning Track with Sweep of Clippers (10/17/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon, defeating Concordia College 3-0 (34-32, 25-18, 25-23) in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match in Bronxville, New York.

The Devils improve to 7-10 overall and 7-5 in CACC matches. Concordia falls to 0-18 overall and 0-12 in league play.

Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) led the Devils with 16 kills. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 11 kills and a match-high 18 digs. Freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) added 11 digs, her 14th consecutive match with at least 10. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) recorded 35 assists setting up the Devils offensive attack and freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added six service aces.

Lechner also added six aces, boosting her career total to 101. Kirsten becomes the eighth volleyball player in school history to reach 100 career aces. The former DePaul Catholic High School star also becomes just the fourth volleyball player in school history to record 500 or more kills, 100 or more aces and 800 or more digs, joining former players Breht Mieckowski (1998-01), Emily Roth (2002-05) and Andrea Cardine (2006-08). Lechner ranks ninth on the Devils career kill list with 514 and sixth in digs with 862 for her career.

Olivia Thompson and Chelsea Zucher led the Clippers with eight kills apiece. Amanda Byrd topped Concordia with 15 digs. Thompson also had four aces.

In the opening set, the Devils trailed early before regaining the lead with a pair of aces from Leland, 10-9 and built their lead up to six point 24-18 before the Clippers rallied for seven straight points to lead 25-24, Kills by Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) and Lechner put the Devils back on top 26-25 before the Clippers again regained the advantage 27-26. The set went back and forth for the next nine rallies before a kill by Puschak put the Devils back up 33-32. Leland followed with a kill to give the Devils the set 34-32. Rich finished the set with six kills.

Rich also had six kills in the second set as the Devils overcame an early 10-6 deficit to tie the game at 14-14. USP then went on an 8-1 run getting a pair of kills from rich and pair of aces from Lechner and another kill from Leland to take a 22-15 lead. Rich later added another kill and a block by Puschak and hickman sealed the win 25-18.

Lechner had three aces in the third an final set, including her 100th early on, giving the Devils a 4-2 lead. Concordia hung close, taking an 11-10 lead before a 5-1 run by the Devils made the score 15-12. The Devils maintained the lead for the remainder of the set, as Concordia did close within one on several occasions, the last at 24-23 before Lechner sealed the win with a kill to make the score 25-23 and give the Devils the match 3-0.

USP returns to action on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 when they host Goldey-Beacom College in a CACC southern division match set to start at 7:00 p.m. at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

Lechner records 500th Career Kill but Devils Lose to Rams (10/15/09)

Senior Kirsten Lechner recorded her 500th career kill in Thursday night's women's volleyball match against Philadelphia University. However, the Rams went on to defeat the Devils 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-22) at USP's Bobby Morgan Arena.

The loss drops the Devils to 6-10 overall and 6-5 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Philadelphia University improves to 23-2 overall and 11-1 in league play.

Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) entered the match seven kills shy of becoming just the tenth women's volleyball player in school history to record 500 career kills. After getting just one kill in the opening set, the senior outside hitter exploded for six in the second set to reach the 500 mark. Lechner's 500th pulled the Devils within two at the time 23-21. Kirsten went on to record two more in the third set and finished the match with nine, tying junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) for team-high honors. Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added eight kills. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) recorded 26 assists setting up the USP offense. Defensively, freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) led all players with 19 digs while Lechner and freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added 12 apiece. Rich also had three blocks to lead the Devils. Leland and Puschak also had two service aces apiece.

Celena Rendon led the Rams with 12 kills while Molly Malone added seven. Lauren Hoover led PU with 20 assists setting up their offense. On the defensive side, Malone and Ellie Edgar each had five blocks while Mary Mancuso and Rendon had 18 and 16 digs respectively. Hoover and Mancuso also had two service aces apiece.

As a team, the Rams recorded 35 kills to USP's 31 and outhit the Devils, .132 (35-19-121) to .046 (31-25-131). Philadelphia also had 61 digs to USP's 59 and had 11 team blocks while the Devils had just five.

USP returns to action on Saturday, October 17, 2009 when they travel to New York to take on CACC newcomer Concordia College in Bronxville, New York.

Millersville Rallies to Defeat Devils (10/14/09)

Juniors Christine Puschak and Cady Rich combined for 33 kills but it was not enough as Millersville University rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team Wednesday night 3-2 at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The Devils took the first two sets 25-18 and 25-21 before dropping the next two 25-20 and 25-14. In the fifth set, the Devils rallied from a five point deficit to tie the score late in the set before the Marauders pulled out the win, 16-14 to take the match. The Devils drop to 6-9 on the season with the loss. Millersville improves to 11-18.

Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led all players with 17 kills while Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added 16. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added 10. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led the Devils with four aces and tallied 44 assists setting the Devils offense. Hickman also had 11 digs. Defensively, Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) led USP with 28 digs, freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added 16 and Lechner 15. Freshman Sara Montgomery (Knoch HS/Butler, Pa.) had four blocks while Rich and Puschak had three apiece.

Emily Bires and Allison Huss tallied 13 kills apiece to pace the Marauder offense. Amy Killinger added eight kills. Katie Galuska led "Ville's defensive effort with 16 digs while Jill Toronchuk added 10. Huss also had five blocks.

As a team the Devils had 53 kills to Millersville's 48. The Marauders however outhit the Devils .172 (48-20-163) to .142 (53-31-155) for the match. In the final two sets won by the Marauders, they hit .226 (20-8-53) while the Devils offense struggled, hitting just .037 (14-12-53). USP had four more aces then MU (9-5) and recorded 83 digs while the Marauders had 63.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, October 15, 2009 when they host Philadelphia University in a Central atlantic Collegiate Conference southern division clash. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Devils Drop Third Straight Match (10/13/09)

West Chester University handed the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team their third consecutive loss Tuesday night, defeating the Devils 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-11) at Hollinger Field House in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

The loss drops the Devils record to 6-8 while the Golden Rams improve to 13-11.

Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) led the Devils with seven kills and two aces. Freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) had 11 digs while fellow freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added nine. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) led the Devils with 11 assists.

Lexi Kegerise had nine kills to pace the Golden Rams while Helen Fitzpatrick added 12 digs. Kelly Martin had six blocks.

West Chester finished the match with 31 kills to USP's 15 and outhit the Devils .272(31-6-92) to .092 (15-8-76). The Devils finished the match with 49 digs to West Chester's 46. while the Golden Rams had seven team blocks to USP's one.

USP returns to action on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 when they host Millersville University in a non-conference match set to start at 7:00 p.m. in the Bobby Morgan Arena.

Chargers Defeat Devils (10/10/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team dropped their second consecutive match Saturday afternoon, losing to Dominican College 3-1 (25-16, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22) at the Hennessy Center in Orangeburg, New York.

The loss drops the Devils record to 6-7 overall and 6-4 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Chargers improve to 14-8 overall and 8-3 in CACC matches.

USP was led by junior Christine Puschak's (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) 16 kills. Puschak hit .406 in the match, recording just three errors in 32 attack attempts. Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added 10 kills while senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) had eight. Lechner also had a team high three aces. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) set up the Devils offense recording 32 assists. Defensively freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) led all players with 13 digs with Lechner adding eight and freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) seven. Freshman Sara Montgomery (Knoch HS/Butler, Pa.) had three blocks.

Dominican was led by freshmen Kristen Loney and Michelle Klimas who had 12 and nine kills respectively. Klimas also finished with five service aces, while freshman Michelle Fiorvanti also tallied nine kills. Setter Whitney Ranger had a match leading 34 assists to go along with eight kills and seven digs. Catherine Giordano and N'Jameh Philip led the team with eight digs a piece.

As a team, the Devils hit .154 (38-22-104) while the Chargers hit .267 (52-21-116). Both teams finished with five total team blocks and the Chargers held a slim 34-32 lead in the digs department. Dominican also recorded ten service aces to USP's five.

The Devils return to action on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 when they host Millersville University in a non-conference match at the Bobby Morgan Arena. The match is set to start at 7:00 p.m.

Wildcats Snap Devils Win Streak (10/8/09)

Wilmington University snapped the University of the Sciences women's volleyball team's winning streak at four games Thursday night as they handed the Devils a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 26-24) defeat at the Pratt Center in New Castle, Delaware.

The Devils drop to 6-6 overall and 6-3 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Wilmington improves to 7-11 overall and 4-5 in league play.

Junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led all players with 10 kills while senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added nine. Lechner also led the Devils with three aces. Freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) and junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) each added two aces while Hickman led the Devils with 34 assists. Defensively, sophomore Kaylei DeHart (St. Mark’s HS/Wilmington, Del.) led all players with 13 digs while Hickman and freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) added ten apiece.

Paige Norvell and Meghan Frick had seven kills apiece to lead the Wildcats. Frick also led WU with three aces and 12 digs. Brittani Leathern added seven blocks and Sheri Hunley five. Shannon Rumple had 23 assists.

The Wildcats outhit the Devils .144 (27-13-97) to .026 (35-32-116) despite the Devils recording eight more kills than their opponent. Wilmington held a 12-2 advantage in team blocks while the Devils recorded 50 digs to the Wildcats 40.

USP returns to action on Saturday, October 9, 2009 when the travel to Orangeburg, New York to take on Dominican College in CACC inter-divisional matchup. Saturday's match will tip off at noon.

USP Defeats Tigers for Fourth Straight Win (10/6/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team earned their fourth straight win Tuesday night as they defeated Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference southern division rival Holy Family University 3-1 at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The Devils improve to 6-5 overall with the win and 6-2 in CACC matches. The Tigers drop to 7-15 overall and 5-3 in league play. The two teams split the first two sets with the Devils winning the opener, 25-21 and Holy Family the second 25-15. The Devils then won the next two sets, 25-18 and 26-24 to secure the win, their first over the Tigers since the 2006 season.

Junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led the Devils with 11 kills. Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added nine while freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) chipped in seven. Puschak and senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) each had a pair of aces. Defensively, freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) led USP with a match-high 22 digs. Lechner and Leland added 15 and 10 respectively while sophomore Kaylei DeHart (St. Mark’s HS/Wilmington, Del.) had nine. Rich and Puschak had four blocks apiece while freshman Sara Montgomery (Knoch HS/Butler, Pa.) added three. Junior setter Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) finished with 28 assists on the night.

Jill Keeve led the Tigers with 11 kills while libero Jordan Beland added 20 digs. Rebecca Tett had three blocks while Aimee Drabyn led all players with 29 assists.

The Tigers jumped out to a early 7-2 lead in the opening set before the Devils rallied with a 7-1 spurt to lead 9-8. The set remained close from that point on until the Devils opened up a four point lead 23-19. After a USP attack error made the score 23-20, Lechner added a kill to force set point. Another USP attack error gave the serve back to the Tigers who on the ensuing serve, committed a service error to give the Devils the set 25-21.

USP held an 8-7 lead in the second set before the Tigers went on a 13-3 spurt to take a 20-11 lead and made it hold up, winning the second set 25-15 and evening the match at 1-1. In the next set, it was the Devils that had the scoring spurt, turning a one-point lead into a seven point margin, 15-8, taking advantage of three attack errors by the tigers and getting a kill from Montgomery, a block from Puschak and Montgomery and a kill from Leland. The Devils increased their margin to eight 21-13 before the Tigers rallied to cut the deficit to five, 23-18 before the Devils secured the final two points to win the third set, 25-18 and lead the match 2-1.

In the final set, the Devils jumped out to a 13-6 lead only to have the Tigers roar back with a 12-5 run to tie the game at 18-18. With the set still tied at 19-19 the Devils added two points, one of a Tiger service error and another from a Puschak/montgomery block to lead 21-19. Holy Family then rallied for three straight points to take a 22-21 lead before another service error tied the match again at 22-all. Lechner then served an ace, dropping the ball inside the line behind all of the Tiger defenders to make the score 23-22. After a Tiger kill to tie the match again, Puschak recorded her last kill of the night to force match point, 24-23. Again, the Tigers tied the game with a kill, making the score 24-24. Keeve then had a service error, the Tigers 19th of the match, putting the Devils just one point away from winning the match for the second time in the set. With DeHart serving, the Tigers set for Katie Hornback whose attack went long to give the Devils the point and the match 3-1.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, October 8, 2009 when they travel to Wilmington University to take on the Wildcats. USP defeated Wilmington earlier this season. The match is slated to start at 7:00 p.m.

Devils Win third Straight Match (10/3/09)

Juniors Christine Puschak and Cady Rich combined for 31 kills as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team won their third consecutive match , defeating Felician College 3-1 Saturday afternoon at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

Unlike their last two wins, the Devils needed only four sets to earn the win, taking the first set 25-20 and then losing the second by the same margin, 25-20. USP won the third set 25-16 and held off a late comeback rally by the Golden Falcons to take the fourth and final set 27-25. USP improves to 5-5 overall and 5-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. Felician falls to 3-12 overall and 2-6 in CACC matches.

Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) finished the match with 16 kills and a .256 attack percentage. Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added 15 kills, hit .242 and had five blocks (two solo). Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added 10 kills and 11 digs for her third consecutive double-double and sixth of the season. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) also had a double-double with 44 assists and 10 digs. Defensively, freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) led the Devils with 22 digs while fellow freshman Sara Montgomery (Knoch HS/Butler, Pa.) added five blocks (two solo). Freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) had five aces.

Amber Doran led the Golden Falcons with 16 kills, four aces and 25 digs while Jenna Matesic added 10 kills and three blocks. Erica Moore added 21 digs.

The Devils managed just one point while serving through the first ten rallies of the first set before Wooden served five straight points to give the Devils an early 11-4 lead. USP still led 17-8 before Felician scored seven straight points to cut the lead to 17-15 and force a Devils timeout. A 6-2 run by the Devils boosted the lead back up to six, 23-17. Two more Felician points made the score 23-19 before both teams exchanged serves twice, giving the Devils the final two points it needed to win the set, 25-20.

USP led 12-9 after the first service rotation in the second set before the Golden Falcons rallied to tie the game at 13-13. USP regained a slim lead, 20-18 before Felician forced a sideout and then served out the match, scoring six straight points to win the set 25-20.

The Devils scored 15 points while serving in the third set, including nine with Leland delivering the serve to take the third set 25-16. Leland served the final four points of the set. In the fourth set Felician held the early lead, 10-8 after the first complete rotation before the Devils went on a 6-2 spurt to take a 14-12 lead. USP still led 18-13 before Felician began chipping away at the lead, cutting it to three 19-16 and then taking a 24-23 lead before the Devils recorded a kill (their 12th of the set) to regain the serve and tie the game at 24-24. Lechner served another point for the Devils to bring the set to match point 25-24 before her next serve went wide to tie the game again at 25-25. Another kill by the Devils again put the set at match point 26-25 before Puschak served up an ace to give the Devils their final point 27-25 to take the match, 3-1.

The Devils return to action on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 when they host Holy Family University in a CACC Southern Division clash at the Bobby Morgan arena. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Devils Come from Behind to Defeat Griffins (9/29/09)

Junior Cady Rich set three single match records and freshman Stacey Wooden added a fourth as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Chestnut Hill College 3-2 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match Tuesday night at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The win improves the Devils record to 4-5 overall and 4-2 in CACC contests. Chestnut Hill drops to 4-11 overall and 0-5 in league play. The Devils took the opening set, 25-17 before dropping the next two 25-19 and 27-25. USP rebounded to win set four 25-18 before closing out the match with a 15-7 win in the deciding set.

Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) recorded a double-double with 22 kills and a single match record 11 total blocks. Cady had six solo blocks and five block assists, both of which were also USP single-match records. Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) recorded 41 digs, setting a single match record in the process. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) and junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) also recorded double-doubles in the match. Lechner finished the five set thriller with 10 kills and 18 digs while Hickman added 16 digs to go along with her 45 assists. Junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added 13 kills and four blocks while freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) added 20 digs. Freshman Sara Montgomery (Knoch HS/Butler, Pa.) also contributed 6 blocks to the Devils defensive effort. As a team the Devils finished with 18 team blocks, also a single match record.

Madison McGee paced the Griffins with 12 kills while Elisabeth DiGregorio had 32 digs. Bobbie Chukuntarod added seven aces and 19 digs.

The Devils scored the first five points of the match in the opening set and jumped out to a 10-2 lead forcing a Chestnut Hill timeout. USP increased their lead to 12, 17-5 before the Griffins forced a side-out and got their first serving points of the match to cut the lead to 17-10. both teams exchanged points for the rest of the match with the Devils coming out on top 25-17. USP got three kills apiece from Lechner, Rich and Leland.

In the second set, the Griffins offset six kills from Rich with service aces by Chukuntarod in the latter stages of the set. The Devils led 12-8 before the Griffins rallied to take a 13-12 lead. The Devils later regained control and led 19-17 before losing serve. The Griffins then served seven straight points to take the set, 25-19 and even the match at 1-1, with Chukuntarod getting three aces during the Griffins' run.

After dropping the third set 27-25, the Devils again got six kills from Rich in the fourth set as took an early 10-4 and never looked back, pulling out a 25-18 win to even the match at 2-2 and force a fifth and deciding set. In the final set, the Devils scored the first three points only to have the Griffins rally with four straight points to take a 4-3 lead. After the Griffins had an service error and a bad attack to give the Devils a 5-4 lead, Rich had a pair of blocks and later followed with a kill to make the score 8-5. USP scored three of the next four points, two on kills by Lechner to increase their lead to 11-6. Both teams exchanged serves, making the score 12-7 before Wooden served out the match, getting a sideline service ace sandwiched in between a pair of kills by Puschak to give the Devils a 15-7 win in the set and a 3-2 victory in the match.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 3, 2009 when they host Felician College at the Bobby Morgan Arena. Tip off is set for 1:00 p.m.

Devils Outlast Warriors (9/26/09)

Junior Christine Puschak recorded 19 kills and senior Kirsten Lechner recorded her fourth double-double of the season as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team defeated Nyack College 3-2 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) inter-divisional match Saturday at the Bobby Morgan Arena.

The Devils dropped the first set 25-22 to the Warriors but rebounded to take the next two 25-17 and 25-19. Nyack eked out a win in set four 25-22 to force a fifth and final set, which the Devils controlled for the opening rally to win 15-9. USP improves to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in CACC matches with the win. Nyack falls to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in league play.

Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) led all players with 19 kills and had an attack percentage of .326. Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) added 14 kills and 15 digs to record the double-double, her fourth of the season. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) also recorded a double double with 43 assists and 19 digs in the match. Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) added nine kills and five blocks. Freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) paced the Devils with 20 digs while freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) and sophomore Kaylei DeHart (St. Mark’s HS/Wilmington, Del.) added 18 and 12 digs respectively. Puschak also had four blocks. As a team the Devils hit .192 (49-20-151)

The Warriors were led by Megan Metcalf's 13 kills. Brianne Cercone added 12 kills with just one error (.344 att.%). Colleen Weidman led all players with 28 digs. As a team the Warriors hit .159 (47-21-164).

Nyack jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the opening set before the Devils rallied with a 9-4 run to tie the match at 10, getting five of their nine points while serving. USP kept the match close, and took a narrow 20-19 lead late in the match before the Warriors went on a 6-2 run to earn a 25-22 win.

Nyack again held the early lead in the second set, 8-7 but with Wooden serving the Devils took a 13-7 lead before the Warriors forced a sideout and then cut the margin to two 13-11. Puschak later served three points to give the Devils their biggest lead of the set 21-13. Nyack cut the lead in half and trailed by four 23-19 before the Devils forced a sideout to bring the the score to set point. Wooden then served the final point to give USP a 25-19 win in the set.

In the third set, the Devils jumped out to an early 6-1 lead and led 11-6 at the completion of the first service rotation. After a sideout made the score 12-6 USP, the Devils ran off four straight points with Lechner serving to lead 16-6 before Nyack regained the serve. The Warriors could come no closer than six the rest of the way as the Devils took a 2-1 lead in the match, winning the set by a score of 25-17.

USP appeared well on their way to taking the match in the fourth set, opening a 10-6 lead but the Warriors rallied to retake the lead at 14-13. The Devils scored four of the next five points to retake the lead 17-15 before the Warriors again mustered up a rally to take a 21-20 lead. The Devils tied the score at 21-all on the next rally but the Warriors scored four of the final five points to win the set 25-22 and force a fifth and deciding set.

The Devils opened up a 5-1 lead in the early portion of the set and later extended the margin to 10-4. Both teams then exchanged sideouts and the Devils were able to increase their lead to 12-5 with Wooden serving. Nyack added two more points to cut the lead to 12-7 but the Devils came right back with two straight points to lead 14-7 and were serving for match point. Nyack forced a sideout to make the score 14-8 and added another point to make the score 14-9 before the Devils forced a sideout to prevail 15-9 and take the match three sets to two.

The women's volleyball team returns to action on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 when they host Chestnut Hill College in a CACC Southern Division contest at the Bobby Morgan Arena. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Lions Produce a Sweep in the Devils Den (9/24/09)

In a match which saw both teams combine for over 50 attack errors and 17 service errors, Georgian Court University came away with a 3-0 win over the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball team Thursday night at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.

The loss drops the Devils record to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games. The Lions improve to 8-7 overall and 4-0 in league play with the three set sweep, winning with scores of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-21.

The Devils were paced by junior Cady Rich's (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) eight kills. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del) recorded 19 assists including the 1,000th of her career in the second set. Hickman becomes just the third volleyball player in school history to record 1,000 career assists. She finished the game with 1,009. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) and sophomore Kaylei DeHart (St. Mark’s HS/Wilmington, Del.) had 14 digs apiece while Rich added four blocks. As a team the Devils had four more errors (26) than kills (22) for a -.034 attack percentage.

Georgian court's offense was not much better, producing 25 attack errors and 27 kills for a .019 attack percentage. Janelle Murdock led the Lions with six kills. Ana Cruz had 14 digs while Stephanie Rivera had six blocks.

The Lions opened the match by scoring the first five points before the Devils rallied to tie the game at 8-8. Georgian court then scored five straight points to take a 13-8 lead and led 14-10 after the first service rotation was completed. A 7-3 run by the Lions gave the visitors a 21-13 lead before the Devils scored four straight points with DeHart serving to cut the lead to 21-17. After the Lions forced a sideout to make the score 22-17, both teams exchanged side-outs the rest of the set as the Lions prevailed 25-20.

The Devils jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the second set before the Lions evened the match at 13-13 at the end of the first service rotation. GCU then scored four straight times to take a 17-14 lead and later boosted the lead to 22-15. On the next rally Hickman set for a kill by freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) to reach the 1,000 assist mark for her career, making the score 22-16. The Lions added two more points to make the score 24-17 before the Devils rallied to pull within two 24-22 with four points off serve by Leland. The Lions then forced a side-out to take the set 25-22.

USP again had the early lead in the third and final set, only to see the Lions take advantage of the USP mistakes and take a 12-9 midway through the match. The Devils closed within three 20-18 but were unable to come any closer as the Lions scored five of the next eight points to take the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, September 26, 2009 when they host Nyack College in a CACC inter-divisional match up at the Bobby Morgan Arena. The match is set to tip off at 1:00 p.m.

Lightning Fizzle as Devils Earn Second Straight CACC Win (9/22/09)

A balanced attack with four players notching eight or more kills led the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia to a 3-0 win over host Goldey Beacom College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match at the Jones Center in Wilmington, Delaware Tuesday night.

The Devils won the first set 25-16 and took the second 25-19 before completing the sweep with another 25-16 win in the third set. The win, USP's second straight CACC victory, boosts the Devils' record to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Lightning drop to 4-8 overall and 1-2 in league play. The win was also the Devils' fifth straight over the Lightning and improves their all-time record against Goldey Beacom to 8-18.

Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.) led the way with 11 kills. Juniors Cady Rich (Shelton HS/ Shelton, Conn.) and Christine Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.) added nine and eight kills respectively. Freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.) also contributed eight kills to the balanced USP attack. USP's team attack percentage of .264 is their highest of the young season. Defensively Freshmen Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) and Leland had 13 and 10 digs respectively, while Rich added four blocks (three solo). Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del) added four aces and 35 assists (a new USP 3-set single match record).

Monica Dempsey and Roni Shaner led the Lightning with four kills apiece. Christine Hudock added 13 digs. Chalea Johnson had two blocks.

Lechner and Rich each had five kills in the first set as the Devils jumped out to a 10-3 lead and never looked back. A service ace by Wooden gave the Devils their largest lead of the set 20-10 and Lechner's kill closed out the scoring and gave the Devils a 25-16 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.

In the second set, the Lightning kept the score a bit closer but the Devils still led wire-to-wire after scoring the first four points to take control. The Lightning pulled within three, 22-19 before a kill from Leland, an ace from Puschak and a solo block from Rich end the set with the Devils on top 25-19. Puschak had five kills in the set.

The Devils again led wire-to-wire in the third and final set, scoring the first three points and opening up leads of 10-4 and 20-8 en route to capturing the match with a 25-16 set win. Leland paced the Devils with five kills.

USP returns to action on Thursday, September 24, 2009 when they host three-time defending CACC champions Georgian Court University. The match starts at 7:00 p.m.

Devils Defeat Wildcats for First Win of Season (9/19/09)

Christine Puschak had 23 kills and Kirsten Lechner recorded a double-double as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women’s volleyball team won their first match of the season in a thrilling five set contest, 3-2 at the Bobby Morgan Arena Saturday afternoon.

The win was also their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference win as they improve to 1-1 in league play and 1-3 overall. The Devils dropped the first set, 25-22 before taking the next two 25-19 and 25-23. The Wildcats rallied to take set four 25-22 before the Devils closed out the match with a come-from-behind, 16-14 win in the fifth and deciding set. The Devils victory was also only their fourth ever against the Wildcats in 32 matches dating back to 1994. Wilmington drops to 2-7 overall and 0-2 in league play.

The Devils later played Le Moyne College in a non-conference match, dropping a hard-fought contest to the Dolphins, 3-0 to earn a split in the afternoon’s tri-match.

Puschak (Conestoga Valley HS/Leola, Pa.), a junior, had 23 kills in 47 attack attempts with just four errors to hit .404 for the match. Lechner (DePaul Catholic HS/Wayne, N.J.), a senior, added 15 kills and a career-high 30 digs. Junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) also added 14 kills and hit .303. Puschak’s 23 kills is a new USP single match record under the current 25-point scoring format. Junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del) also set a new single match record by dishing out 55 assists, which is also the third highest assist total in a match in the program’s 36 year history.

Lechner was also one of five USP players with 10 or more digs followed by freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School, New Castle, Del.)(19), sophomore Kaylei DeHart (St. Mark’s HS/Wilmington, Del.) (15), Hickman (14) and freshman Stacey Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) (10).

After losing the first set against the Wildcats, the Devils jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opening rallies in the second set only to have Wilmington come back and re-take the lead which they held until Hickman served three straight points to give the Devils a 15-12 lead. Wilmington battled back and took a 23-21 lead before the Devils forced a side-out to regain serve and pull within one. Lechner then served out the match as the Devils scored three straight times to win the second set 25-23.

The Devils led wire-to-wire in the third set, winning with a score of 25-19. Wilmington jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the fourth set and never relinquished it, as the Devils could come only as close as one, 23-22 before succumbing 25-22, forcing a fifth and deciding set.

In the final set, both teams exchanged points in the early going with the Wildcats grabbing a 9-6 lead and maintained the lead over the next several rallies, eventually serving for the match at 14-12. The Devils forced a side-out to pull within one 14-13 and then rallied with three straight points to pull out the match with the thrilling come-from-behind win, 16-14 to win the contest three sets to two.

Wilmington’s Megan Frick led the Wildcats with 12 kills while Brittany O’Neill had 23 digs. Frick also added 20 digs.

Two hours later the Devils took on Le Moyne College. There was no miracle comeback this time but the Devils showed their tenacity by making the Dolphins work for every point, keeping all three sets close throughout. The Dolphins won the first set, 25-23, and then took the second 25-20 before completing the sweep, 25-22.

Lechner recorded her second consecutive double-double and her third of the season with 10 kills and 16 digs. Rich and Puschak added nine kills apiece. De Hart led all players with 17 digs, while Leland also chipped in 16 and Wooden 12. Rich also had three service aces.

The Dolphins had eight different players record kills, led by Morgan McDermott, Elizabeth Cheek and Danielle Fetch with five apiece. Lindsey Gleason had 16 digs while McDermott added four blocks.

The Devils return to action on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 when they travel into Delaware to take on Goldey-Beacom College in a CACC southern division clash, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Rams Defeat Devils in CACC Opener (9/17/09)

Five University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball players had four or more kills in Thursday night's match against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Philadelphia University but the Devils were unable to hand the Rams their first conference loss as they were swept in straight sets, 3-0 at the Gallagher Center on Philadelphia University's campus.

The Rams won the match with set scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-18. The loss drops the Devils record to 0-3 and 0-1 in CACC games. The Rams improve to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in league play.

Leading the way offensively for the Devils was junior Christine Puschak (Conestoga HS/Leola, Pa.). Puschak, who entered the match as the leading hitter in the CACC with a .294 attack percentage, recorded six kills on the night. Senior Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) and freshman Stacy Wooden (Pennsbury HS/Levittown, Pa.) added five kills apiece while junior Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) and freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School/New Castle, Del.) contributed four to the Devils total of 25.

The 25 kills were offset by 31 attack errors, giving the Devils a negative attack for the match (25-31-118, -.051). The Rams posted only two more kills (27) and had 15 fewer errors to finish the night hitting .114 (27-16-94). Nicole Berkstresser led the Rams with nine kills.

Defensively, Lechner and junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian/ Newark, Del.) had 10 digs apiece while Puschak added two solo blocks and Rich one. Celena Rendon and Natalie Amodei had 11 digs each and Molly Malone added four blocks to head up the Rams defensive effort.

USP jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening set before a 9-3 run by the Rams evened things at 9-9. The Devils later led 15-14 before the Rams scored the final 11 points to win the set 25-15. In the second set, the Rams started off the match with a big 8-1 lead. However the Devils showed heart and battled back with a 15-8 spurt to pull within one 16-15 on Rich's service ace. The Rams scored the next three points to take a four point lead 19-15 only to have the Devils rebound again and pull within one 22-21. Philadelphia then scored the final three points to take the second set 25-21.

The Rams again jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third set only to see their lead evaporate as the tenacious Devils went on a 13-6 run to tie the set at 14-14. The set was still tied at 16-16 when the Rams scored six straight to take control, 22-16 before settling in for the 25-18 win to take the match 3-0.

The Devils will have their home opener on Saturday, September 19, 2009 when they host Wilmington University and Le Moyne College at the Bobby Morgan Arena. The Wilmington match begins at 11 a.m. with the Le Moyne match set to start around 3 p.m.

Devils open Season with a Pair of Tough Road Losses (9/14/09)

A young University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's volleyball squad opened their season Saturday afternoon with a pair of tough matches on the road, suffering losses to Queens College and Southern Connecticut State University in a tri-match in New Haven, Connecticut.

Queens College defeated the Devils 3-1, winning the first two sets, 25-20 and 20-18 and the fourth set, 25-11 with USP winning the third set, 25-13. The undefeated Owls of Southern Connecticut State remained just that, handing USP a 3-0 loss in the Devils final match of the day, with set scores of 25-10, 27-25 and 25-19.

Kirsten Lechner (DePaul Catholic/ Wayne, N.J.) kicked off her senior year with a double-double in the opener against Queens College (1-3), leading the team with 16 digs and one of three players with 10 kills. Juniors Christine Puschak (Conestoga HS/Leola, Pa.) and Cady Rich (Shelton HS/Shelton, Conn.) also had ten kills apiece while freshman Ari Leland (Tatnall School/New Castle, Del.) added nine. Lechner also led the team with three aces.

USP (0-2) held leads midway through each of the first two sets and kept the score in each set close throughout. The young Devils squad also had one of the better offensive sets since early last season in set two, recording only one error in 27 attempts while connecting for 13 kills (a 44.4% attack percentage). Lechner had five kills without an error in the second set while Rich and Leland had three kills apiece. USP then went on to score an impressive 25-13 win in the third set, with Rich getting five of the team's 11 kills in the set. QC took the fourth set, 25-11 and subsequently the match, 3-1.

In the Devils second match, Lechner, Rich and Puschak paced the Devils with seven kills apiece. Defensively junior Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian/ Newark, Del.) led USP with seven digs.

The Owls (10-0) opened with a 25-10 win in the first set. The Devils battled back in the second set after trailing early, using a mid-set rally to take a three-point lead 20-17 before SCSU rallied to retake the lead at 24-22. Two straight attack errors by the Owls and the Devils tied the set again. Southern Connecticut scored three of the next four points to win the set 27-25 and carried the momentum into the third set, winning it 25-19 to take the match 3-0.

The Devils return to action on Thursday, September 17, 2009 when they open the Central Atlantic Collegiate conference portion of their season at Philadelphia University. Starting time is set for 7:00 p.m.