Women’s Volleyball Sweeps Behrend to Stay Perfect in AMCC
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team improved to 3-0 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions defeated Penn State Behrend 3-0 in the league's Game of the Week in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (8-9, 3-0 AMCC) secured its fourth home win of the season in three sets, taking care of Behrend (14-5, 3-1 AMCC) by scores of 25-18, 25-16, and 25-17.
As a team, the Lions posted their best hitting and blocking performances of the season to date, as Penn State Altoona posted a .250 attack percentage and 11 blocks – both season-highs.
Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) finished with a match-high 13 points for Penn State Altoona on a team-best 10 kills and three service aces, and she also added 13 digs. Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) had 10.5 points on six kills and a season-high six total blocks, recording three solos and three assists.
Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) scored 9.5 points on seven kills, three block assists, and one solo block. Lacee Barnhart (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) and Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) each scored 7.5 points, with Barnhart totaling six kills, one solo block, and one block assist and Fussell recording five kills and five block assists. Karlie Feathers (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) added four points on four kills.
Abigail Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PHAA) led the Lions in both assists and digs, finishing with 16 and 16. Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) contributed 14 assists and eight digs.
Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) compiled 14 digs and chipped in a service ace.
In the first set, Penn State Altoona pulled away late to win it by a comfortable margin. With the score tied 14-14, the Lions embarked on a 4-1 run to jump ahead 18-15, getting two kills from Port and a kill and ace from Simanski along the way. Behrend narrowed its deficit to 18-17, but Penn State Altoona scored the next six consecutive points to get to set point. One point later, a Behrend service error gave Penn State Altoona a 25-18 opening-set victory.
The Lions never trailed in the second set, grabbing an early lead and then widening the gap later in the set. Kills from Simanski and Emel represented the first two points of the set, and several plays later, Penn State Altoona got four straight kills – two by Fussell and one apiece from Simanski and Barnhart – to go up 9-4. Later, a Feathers kill kept the Lions' lead at six, 18-12, as did kills from Simanski and Fussell that made it 20-14. A Barnhart block and Batrus ace increased Penn State Altoona's advantage to 24-15, and a combo block from Fussell and Myers ended the set in favor of the home team, 25-16.
Penn State Altoona overtook an early Behrend lead in the third set to win it by eight. Trailing 4-1, a Myers kill and two Simanski kills tied the score. Shortly thereafter, three consecutive Penn State Altoona blocks – two from Port and Fussell combined and one from Port by herself – helped the home team to a 10-6 lead. Behrend came back to tie the score, 14-14, but an 8-2 run from Penn State Altoona gave the Lions a 22-16 advantage. Barnhart's kill kept the difference at six points, 23-17, and back-to-back Behrend errors ended the set at 25-17.
Penn State Altoona women's volleyball remains home for its next match, as the Lions will host first-year AMCC opponent Carlow University on Tuesday, October 17 at 7 p.m.
