The Shippensburg University volleyball received another spirited performance Friday from junior Taylor Gottshall and assistance from fellow junior middle blocker Faith Athey as it battled to a pair of victories at the Davis & Elkins Classic.
 
Shippensburg (5-1) defeated the host Senators in four sets, 25-19, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, before holding strong and up-ending Urbana in five sets by scores of 25-19, 19-25, 26-24, 22-25, 15-9.
 
The Raiders, battling some injuries early in the season, were limited in their rotations and used just one substitute off the bench between the two matches.
 
That makes the work of the middle blockers all the more impressive. Gottshall hit a dynamic .408 on 71 attempts Friday, ripping 35 kills on just a handful of errors, and contributing 12 blocks. She has hit .260 or better in all six matches this season. Her 24-kill, 12-dig, 5-block effort against Urbana marked her first career double-double and a single-match career best for digs.
 
Athey, meanwhile totaled 22 kills, swung .294 on 51 attempts, and contributed 10 blocks (including two solo). Her 14 kills against Urbana matched a career high set during her freshman season against Lock Haven.
 
Sophomore Annie Goerl continued to provide integral offense from the outside, slugging 11 kills against Davis & Elkins and 12 against Urbana. Goerl has posted double-digit kills four times this season and provided at least seven kills in all six matches thus far.
 
Fellow sophomore Maura Nolan remained busy as the setter, totaling 87 assists between the two matches. She also had six block assists and added five kills without an error.
 
Freshman Courtney Malott and redshirt-freshman Brittany Whitacre were active Friday. Malott maintained a balanced production with nine kills, eight block assists and 15 digs on the day. Whitacre compiled seven kills and a team-high five service aces.
 
Shippensburg remains in Elkins on Saturday to face Concord at noon and Glenville State at 4 p.m.