Lions Sweep Greensburg for First AMCC Win
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team started its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schedule at home on Tuesday night, when the Lions earned a 3-0 victory over league opponent Pitt-Greensburg in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (6-9, 1-0 AMCC) defeated Pitt-Greensburg (3-13, 0-1 AMCC) by set scores of 25-16, 25-21, and 25-14.
Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) led all players in the match with 12 points on 12 kills while chipping in eight digs. Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) had nine points on six kills, two service aces, and one solo block to go along with six digs.
Lacee Barnhart (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) recorded eight points on six kills and two aces, and she also finished with a match-high 21 digs. Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) had 6.5 points on five kills, one solo block, and one block assist, and Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) scored five points on three kills and a match-high two solo blocks.
Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) put up a team-best 14 assists and added eight digs, and Gabriella Serra (Queens, NY/Benjamin Cardozo) had 12 assists, 11 digs, and one ace.
Batrus totaled 12 digs and posted a team-best three service aces.
Penn State Altoona worked its way out to a five-point lead, 15-10, midway through the first set, but Pitt-Greensburg rallied to tie the score at 15-15. Clinging to a one-point advantage, 17-16, the Lions reeled off eight unanswered points to close out the set with a 25-16 victory. During that run, Penn State Altoona got two kills from Port and one from Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona), with Price's kill representing the set-winning point.
Down 4-3 early in the second set, back-to-back kills from Port and Simanski put Penn State Altoona on top, and the home team never surrendered its lead for the rest of the set. Two Simanski kills midway through the set put the Lions up 16-11, and a Barnhart kill and Batrus ace kept the difference at five, 19-14. Two Myers kills and another by Barnhart helped get Penn State Altoona to 23-18, and Emel's kill and a Pitt-Greensburg attack error got the Lions to 25, winning the set 25-21.
Penn State Altoona raced out to a big lead to win the third set in comfortable fashion, as the Lions built a 14-point advantage, 19-5. The home team posted its best hitting performance of the match, as the team compiled a .229 attack percentage during the third set. Two consecutive kills from Karlie Feathers (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) late in the set put the Lions' advantage at 23-11, and Simanski notched kills on Penn State Altoona's final two points to close out the set, 25-14.
Penn State Altoona women's volleyball will travel for its next match, as the Lions will head to Hamburg, N.Y. this Saturday, October 7 to take on AMCC opponent Hilbert College. That match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
