In four matches against PAC opponents that did not count towards the conference standings, the Waynesburg University volleyball team wasn’t able to pick up a win. 

Sitting at 5-8 and looking for a bounce back performance, the Yellow Jackets picked up a double header sweep of Penn State Shenango and Hilbert on their home floor to garner momentum heading into PAC play.

Waynesburg Volleyball Head Coach Emily Grossman said it was a good reminder to her team that they can play high quality volleyball.

“It’s good, those two matches gave us a lot of confidence heading into PAC play,” Grossman said. “I think they showed us that when we play our best game, we can compete and we can win against anyone, so I think we needed that reminder heading into this upcoming week.”

In their first contest against Penn State Shenango, the Yellow Jackets took the win in four sets by scores of 25-5, 21-25, 25-14 and 25-9. It was the second time Waynesburg played Penn State Shenango this season, with the Yellow Jackets won both matches.

The first and fourth sets of the match against Penn State Shenango saw Waynesburg dominate the middle portion of the match. In the first set, the Yellow Jackets went on a run of 17-1, scoring the last eight points to take the set. In the fourth set, they went on a 14-2 run to increase their lead from 5-3 to 19-5. And they did so in this match with a different lineup than last time.

“We actually ran a completely different lineup,” Grossman said when asked about the win over Penn State Shenango. “We were giving some people some rest this weekend, just getting ready to head into conference play. We had some players that were dealing with some injuries. And we were familiar with what they were going to bring us in terms of how they were going to put the ball over the net, which let me be confident in changing our lineup. So I thought it was a nice opportunity to see where everyone else was at.”

One of the younger players on this team that stood out for Waynesburg on Saturday was freshman Kendall Ellsworth. Ellsworth recorded a team high 17 assists in the win over Hilbert and a total of 20 throughout the two contests. The 17 assists in the second match of the day were a career high for the freshman setter.

“Those two wins, they felt very smooth,” Ellsworth said. “It’s nice to just be able to focus on advancing your play, running different offenses, and just being relaxed and able to do that, it’s very nice to continue on with the season.” 

In the second match of the day, the Yellow Jackets swept Hilbert, winning in straight sets 25-13, 25-17 and 25-10. Grossman was most pleased with her team’s ability to elevate their level of play for that match.

“I thought our team elevated the level of play,” Grossman said about the win over Hilbert. “Based on Hilbert’s scores and what I saw them do against Penn State Shenango, I thought we were going to be more evenly matched, so I was pleased to see my team go out and set the pace of play, run fast plays, take big swings and command that match. That was something we hadn’t seen this year so I was really pleased with that.”

The double header Saturday was the second time the Yellow Jackets have competed in two matches in a non-tournament setting. Both times, the Yellow Jackets were able to pick up the sweep. Ellsworth talked more about where this team’s success on double header match days comes from.

“I feel like we really strive to refocus between games and not necessarily forget about the first one, but just put it in the back of our mind and focus on the game we’re about to play,” Ellsworth said. “Even if we’re tired, or maybe a little sore, it’s the same day so maybe something you’re struggling with in the first game, you can work on in the next game. It’s not easy all the time but they’re fun, so I’m pretty proud of our team.”

The wins for Waynesburg moved them to 7-8 on the season. They get back to playing 

conference opponents on Wednesday, Oct. 4, when they take on the Grove City Wolverines on the road in the first conference matchup that counts towards PAC standings.