SANDUSKY, Ohio (August 31) – The Waynesburg University volleyball team finished its opening weekend at the Great Lakes Cross Over with a pair of three set defeats against Kalamazoo and Bluffton at the Cedar Point Sports Center on Saturday.

The Jackets scored at least 20 points in five of six sets on Saturday. Waynesburg falls to 0-4 on the season.

Game 1 – Kalamazoo 3, Waynesburg 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-23)

The Yellow Jackets blitzed the Hornets in the early going of the first set as Waynesburg scored the first four points and raced out to a 12-6 lead. Kalamazoo scored the next eight points to take a 14-13 edge, and after the game was tied at 15, scored the next four points to lead the rest of the way. Paige Mortimore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brentwood) led the charge in the opening frame as she notched six of Waynesburg's 12 kills.

Kalamazoo led 9-4 in the second set before the Jackets battled back to tie the score at 10. The Hornets embarked on a 9-2 run to seize control of the set and come away with a 25-18 triumph.

The third set was the most competitive as it featured 10 ties, the latest of which being at 17-all. Kalamazoo went up 22-19 before the Jackets responded with back-to-back points to trim the margin to one. Waynesburg survived a pair of match points before the Hornets closed out the match with a 25-23 set win.

Krista Wilson (Greensboro, Pa. / Mapletown) notched seven kills to lead the Jackets. Mortimore and Kristina Zadrozny (McDonald, Pa. / West Allegheny) added six kills apiece. Jordan Stein (Manor, Pa. / Norwin) had a dozen digs and Riley Ruffley (Bedford, Pa. / Bedford) notched 21 assists and three aces.

Game 2 – Bluffton 3, Waynesburg 0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21)

The Jackets and Beavers traded early runs in the first set. Waynesburg led 8-5 after a 7-1 string but the Beavers scored eight of the next 10 points to lead 13-10. Bluffton led by as many as six points (18-12) before the Jackets narrowed the margin to 19-16. The Beavers held on for the 25-20 set one win.

Four different Jackets notched a kill as Waynesburg established a 12-4 lead in the second set. Bluffton scored five of its next nine points via service ace or service error to get back within two (15-13). Zadrozny had a pair of kills as the Jackets were the first team to 20, leading 20-16. Bluffton scored the next four points to tie the game. The Jackets led 23-21 after a block by Ruffley and Emma Hyatt (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels Area), but the Beavers scored the next four points to steal the set 25-23.

Zadrozny accounted for four of the Jackets' first five points in the third set with four kills. Bluffton led 8-7 before a 6-1 Beaver spurt extended its lead to six. A pair of Ruffley aces cut the lead to 14-12 and prompted a Bluffton timeout. The Beavers scored four of the next five points out of the timeout to lead 18-12. Waynesburg worked back within three (23-20) before Bluffton closed out the match 25-21.

Zadrozny finished with 10 kills and two block assists. Wilson had eight kills and four digs. Stein had 13 digs and two aces. Ruffley added 21 assists and a pair of aces. Madi Dayton (Ridgeley, W. Va. / Calvary Christian) notched seven kills, seven digs and two block assists.

The Jackets travel to Muskingum on Wednesday evening.