Women's volleyball wins thriller over Grove City

Yellow Jackets battle back from two sets down to win 3-2

Picture used for Oct. 15 volleyball release

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 15) – The Waynesburg University volleyball team showed amazing heart and determination as they battled back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Grove City 3-2 at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

The win improved the Yellow Jackets’ overall record to 5-15 on the season and bumps their Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) mark up to 2-8. Grove City drops to 6-16 on the year and 3-5 in conference competition.

After the visiting Wolverines took the first two sets by the finals of 25-13 and 25-22, the Jackets were able to tie the match up with a 25-20 victory in set three and a 25-13 triumph in set four.

In the deciding fifth set, Waynesburg built up a three-point lead late in the set, but Grove City came back to make it interesting. However, the home team managed to put the match away with a 16-14 victory.

Sophomore Jordan Barton led the Waynesburg attack with a team-high 15 kills. She got plenty of support from freshman Courtney Frain (nine kills) and sophomore Carly Schubert (eight kills).

Freshman Carly Smithyman piled up a team season-high 38 assists in the victory, while junior Rachell Storm led five Jackets in double figures in digs with 37. Barton completed a double-double with 24 digs, freshman Presley Cupp chipped in 15 digs, junior Katrina Brown had 14 digs and Smithyman recorded her first double-double with 12 digs.

The Jackets return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Greenville to face Thiel in another PAC match.

Sport:

Athletes of the Week

Dan Bruni

Wrestling

Bruni went 3-0 during Waynesburg’s home quad-match against Penn State Greater Allegheny, Penn State Beaver and Penn State Fayette. The sophomore won two matches by major decision and scored a fall in just 31 seconds over Greater Allegheny’s Soham Salvi.

Jessi Drayer

Women's Basketball

Drayer poured in a team-high 21.0 points per game for the 1-1 Yellow Jackets this past week. She was the team’s leading scorer in both games, going for a game-high 23 points against Westminster, before pouring in a contest-best 19 points in a win over Geneva. The Waterford, Ohio native averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this week.

What are you most looking forward to in 2012 when it comes to Waynesburg sports?

Seeing how far the women's basketball team can go in the PAC tournament and beyond.
The wrestling team going for a third-straight PAC team title.
The Jacket softball team playing to get back into the PAC playoffs.
Waynesburg track taking another shot at an elusive PAC team title.
Just being outside when the weather turns warm.

Did You Know...

Headlee's All-American resume

Head wrestling coach Ron Headlee was a three-time NAIA All-American at Messiah College and the school's first NCAA All-American.

Jackets own Nittany Lions

The Waynesburg football team is 2-0 all-time against Penn State. The last time they met was in 1932, when the Jackets won 7-6.

Unbreakable record

In 2009, Scott Cree ran an interception back 100 yards for a touchdown, a record that can't be broken.

Going nowhere fast

Waynesburg held Westminster to minus-105 yards rushing in a game in 1967.

The Three Musketeers

Dominick Hunter, Ivan Hawkins and Paul D'Imperio, who rank 1-2-3 in career receptions , all played together from 2002 to 2004.

Don Herrman

Former Waynesburg football great Don Herrman played for the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints from 1969 to 1977.

TV Football

Waynesburg played in the first televised football game. The Yellow Jackets faced Fordham on Sept. 20, 1939 in Randalls Island, N.Y.

Champions in the classroom

During the 2009-10 school year, no school in the conference boasted more honorees on the PAC Academic Honor Roll than Waynesburg.

Waynesburg University Athletics