SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team swept Jefferson Tuesday night to claim victory in its home opener at Heiges Field House. Set scores were 26-24, 25-19, 25-18.
 
Shippensburg (8-5) had three players achieve double-digit kills on the night, as the Raiders swung a season-high .283 on the court. Junior Emily Gardner led the way with 14 kills and just two errors, swinging .429. She narrowly missed a double-double, recording nine digs. Fellow junior Maddie Clabaugh ripped 13 kills and had just one error, hitting .400, and served two of SU's five aces.
 
Between the two of them, Gardner and Clabaugh totaled 27 kills on just three errors and hit .414 from the floor.
 
It was the first home match for several first-year Raiders, and Gracen Nutt turned in a big offensive performance with 10 kills, including the match clincher. Libero Shay Kolivoski posted 13 digs, four assists and two aces.  
 
Sophomore Kearstin Davis continued her excellent work directing the offense, delivering a 40-assist, 10-dig effort from her setter spot. Senior Kaitlyn Townsend added seven kills and two solo blocks.
 
The first set had the Raiders build large leads of 12-6 and 18-10. Jefferson (4–6) stormed back late, hitting a 6–1 run to cut the Raiders' lead to 20–18. The Rams tied the set at 24–24, but consecutive kills by Gardner and Clabaugh closed out the frame.
 
Neither team held more than a two-point advantage during the second set until the 16-13 mark, and the Raiders managed to pull away late. A 7-3 run capped the middle frame to give SU a 2-0 lead. Gardner posted five kills in the set while Clabaugh added four kills and a service ace.
 
The Raiders swung an impressive .394 from the floor in the third set. The score was 8-5 in Jefferson's favor in the final frame before the Raiders on a 9–1 run to go ahead 14–9. A 5-0 service run by Davis was part of the Raider rally. After expanding the lead to 18-11, SU led by at least five points for the remainder of the match.
 
Shippensburg opens Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play at 7 p.m. Friday when it heads to Shepherd to take on the Rams at the Butcher Athletic Center.