SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team completed a successful weekend Saturday with a convincing straight-set victory over East Stroudsburg, sweeping the Warriors by scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-17 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (14-11, 8-2 PSAC East) was efficient, hitting .234 from the floor and serving 10 aces while limiting East Stroudsburg (15-7, 5-5) to a .108 hitting efficiency and just two aces. The Raiders only allowed 24 kills on the day while ripping 45 of their own.
 
Senior Emily Gardner delivered a signature offensive performance, slamming 18 kills and hitting .317 from the floor on 41 swings. She added nine digs and a block assist. In the first set alone, Gardner had nine kills on 14 attempts. Her 18 total kills is one short of her career high that she has achieved on three occasions – one of which came earlier this season at ESU.
 
Junior Kearstin Davis finished with 37 assists, four aces, seven digs and two kills. Now with more than 3,000 career assists, Davis is one of just six players in school history to surpass that threshold.
 
Junior Isabelle Bombas was key in the middle, crunching eight kills without an error on 14 attempts for a .571 hitting efficiency. Bombas also had a team-high three block assists. Junior Kayla Johnson had seven kills and hit .375.
 
Junior Berkley Simmons matched Davis with a team-high four aces. One of those came during a pivotal 9-0 service run in the second set that was a turning point in the match; it transformed a 10-10 score into a 19-10 Raider advantage that propelled the hosts to a 2-0 lead.
 
Simmons also led the Raiders with a season-high 18 digs – a total that is two short of her career high set last season. Sophomore libero Shay Kolivoski had 11 digs.
 
With four matches left in the regular season, the Raiders are now in a prime playoff position, sitting in second place in the Eastern Division and three games ahead of three teams tied for third place: ESU, Millersville and Bloomsburg.
 
Shippensburg continues its homestand at 7 p.m. Friday when it hosts Bloomsburg at Heiges Field House.