SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team ended a two-match losing skid on Friday night with a convincing straight-set victory over Slippery Rock in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match from Heiges Field House. Set scores were 25-14, 25-17 and 25-23.
 
Shippensburg (21-5, 11-3 PSAC) never trailed at any point against Slippery Rock (9-14, 6-8), using strong starts in each set to dictate the pace. The Raiders swung just .145 from the field, their third-lowest output of the season, but served eight aces and totaled 11 blocks to key the victory.
 
Junior Kendall Johnson was the most efficient hitter on the night, totaling a match-high 10 kills and hitting .429 – recording just one error on 21 attempts. Johnson also had a hand in five blocks.
 
Junior Samantha Webber slammed seven kills, swung .211 and contributed to six blocks. Both Johnson and Webber have surpassed 200 career block assists and currently sit seventh and eighth respectively on SU's all-time list for the category.
 
Sophomore Alana Pergine was strong off the bench, totaling five kills and contributed to four blocks. Junior Gabriella Johnson added five kills while providing a match-high 19 digs. Senior Morgan DeFloria had just four kills but racked up 13 digs.
 
Sophomore Emily Hangen totaled 29 assists and matched a career high with five aces. Hangen added eight digs. Junior Megan Forstburg provided 13 digs from her libero spot.
 
Shippensburg used an 11-2 run in the opening set to stake out a 17-6 advantage that proved insurmountable. SU opened the second set on a 10-2 run, to which Slippery Rock would get as close as three points at 14-11.
 
In the third and final set, the Raiders scored the first seven points, but The Rock countered with 10 of the next 15 points to make the score 12-10 in SU's favor. Trailing 21-15, the visitors scored five straight points to make it 21-20, prompting a Raider timeout. The two teams then traded points until the match's conclusion.

UP NEXT: Saturday, 1 p.m. vs. Edinboro.