UNION, N.J. (9/18/21) – Kayla Thornton finished with 32 kills and posted a .473 hitting percentage over two matches as the Kean University women's volleyball team split a tri-match with Penn State-Behrend and Brooklyn College on Saturday afternoon.

PSU-Behrend 3, Kean 1
Thornton and Ashley Smith combined for 31 kills as the Cougars (3-5) dropped the opening match of the day to the Lions (6-4).

Smith and Thornton combined for 10 kills on 19 swings as Kean took the opening set, 25-16. The Cougars hit .216 in the set victory while holding PSU to .000. Behrend would sweep the final three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-22. Penn State improved their hitting percentage over the final three sets, while the Cougars percentage continued to slide south.

Kylie Bura totaled a double-double with 34 assists and 16 digs, while Amanda DeLio collected 20 digs. Sedona Gaard tallied 14 digs, four kills, and three aces.   

Kean 3, Brooklyn 0
Thornton and Smith combined for 23 kills as the Cougars (4-5) bounced back with a straight sets sweep of the Bulldogs (5-3).

Kean trailed in the opening two sets, before clawing their way back to 27-25 and 25-23 victories.  Smith and Thornton tallied nine kills in an opening set that saw Brooklyn post a higher hitting percentage than the Cougars.

Taylor Micheaux sparked Kean in set two with five kills on 11 swings. Smith and Thornton combined for eight kills in the middle set as the Cougars posted a .289 hitting percentage.

In the final set, Kean hit .400 with Thornton adding four more kills, while Micheaux, Julia Vacca, Smith and Morgan Hall all tallied two kills apiece.

Thornton totaled 13 kills, while Smith totaled 10 and Micheaux collected seven. Micheaux added nine digs, while Smith tallied six aces and six digs. Brua handed out 29 assists in the victory.

Head Coach Don Perkins and the Cougars will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 21^st, hosting the Pioneers of William Paterson University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match beginning at 7:00 p.m.