The Chestnut Hill Volleyball team opened their season Friday night on the road with a 3-1 win over Kutztown University.
The Griffins took the first set 25-23 before Kutztown rallied to take set two in marathon fashion 32-30. The Griffins then took the final two sets 25-23 and 25-20 to capture the match.
Senior Kate Hanley led the Griffins with a career-high 19 kills. The senior hitter also added four service aces. Freshman Kass Kimmel made a solid collegiate debut, notching 16 kills while hitting .293 (16-4-41) and adding 12 digs for a double-double. Nicole Dimiris added 14 kills.
Setter Sofia Rodriguez also recorded a double-double with 50 assists and 16 digs. Alex Crespin led all players with 29 digs while also contributing seven assists. Rachel Mace added 14 digs.
Hanley had six kills in eight attempts in the opening set to fuel the Griffins offensive attack along with Dimiris who added five kills. Late in the set, the Bears led by four 20-16 when the Griffins rallied with four straight points, capitalizing on KU errors to tie the score at 20-20. The two teams exchanged points until Hanley's sixth kill of the set put the Griffins ahead for good 23-22. Kimmel added the final kill to close out the set and give the /griffins a 1-0 lead in the match.
Kutztown held off three set points by the Griffins to rally and take the second set 32-30 which saw neither team lead by any more than three points over the course of the set.
The Griffins jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the third set, only to see the Bears battled back to take their first lead at 14-13. Kills by Kimmel, Maya Hopson and Hanley fueled a 5-2 run that saw the griffins forge ahead 18-16. Kutztown tied the score before the Griffins again went back up by two following an ace from Katelyn Dougherty. Hanley later brought the Griffins to set point before a service error by the Bears gave CHC a 25-23 win  and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set saw the host jump out to a 7-4 lead before the Griffins rallied to take a 12-11 lead. Two straight points from the Bears reversed the lead before the Griffins exploded with an 8-1 run to lead 20-14. Kimmel recorded three kills in the run. Kutztown would get no closer than four points the rest of the way as the Griffins captured the match with a 25-20 win in the final set.
The women's volleyball team returns to action on Wednesday September 10, 2025, when they travel to West Chester University. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
