Lions Sweep Carlow for Fourth Straight Win
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team stayed hot on Tuesday night, when the Lions notched their fourth win in a row with a 3-0 sweep over new Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Carlow University in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (9-9, 4-0 AMCC) overcame early deficits in each of the three sets, eventually prevailing by scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-21 to defeat Carlow (8-12, 0-4 AMCC). The Lions improve to 5-0 at home this season, with all of the team's victories being 3-0 sweeps.
Penn State Altoona also held its annual Dig Pink event, and the team and fans raised over $1,000 to benefit The Side-Out Foundation, which supports the fight against breast cancer.
Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) finished with a match-high 13 points and 10 kills for Penn State Altoona to go along with 14 digs, two service aces, and one solo block. Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) had 11 points on nine kills and a team-best three total blocks, recording two block assists and one solo block. Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) scored nine points on eight kills and a pair of block assists, and Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) added 6.5 points, recording a match-high four service aces and chipping in two kills and a block assist.
Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) put up 17 assists for the Lions, and Abigail Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PHAA) had 16 assists and an ace.
Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) led all players in the match with 17 digs, and Lacee Barnhart (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) tallied 11 digs.
In the first set, Carlow secured the first four points, then built a 7-2 lead. But, trailing 12-8, Penn State Altoona embarked on a 5-0 run to take its first lead of the set, 13-12. During the run, the Lions got kills from Fussell and Barnhart and back-to-back aces from Emel. A Karlie Feathers (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) kill made it 16-13, and a Myers ace and Port kill increased the Lions' advantage to 21-14. Port and Fussell combined on a block to make it 23-16, and Fussell's kill eventually ended the first set in favor of Penn State Altoona, 25-19.
Carlow again nabbed the lead early in the second set, working its way out to a 10-5 advantage. But Penn State Altoona erased its deficit by scoring the next five straight points, getting two kills from Fussell, one apiece from Port and Barnhart, and a Simanski ace to tie the score at 10. Later, with the score tied 16-16, two Myers aces and a Port kill put Penn State Altoona up by three. Fussell and Port's duo block helped get the Lions' lead to five, 22-17, and a Barnhart kill later provided the set-winning point for the home team, which triumphed 25-21.
The third set opened with Carlow jumping out to a 6-1 advantage, but Penn State Altoona again clawed back to overtake the Celtics. An ace from Myers evened the score at 14 points apiece, and Simanski followed with a pair of kills to put the Lions ahead by two, 16-14. A Fussell kill and Port solo block helped get Penn State Altoona's advantage to six, 21-15, and another Fussell kill later made it 23-17. Simanski's ace got the Lions to set point, 24-17, and Barnhart's kill ended the set at 25-21 to clinch a Penn State Altoona victory.
Penn State Altoona women's volleyball returns to action this Saturday, October 21, hitting the road to take on AMCC opponent Pitt-Bradford at 1 p.m.
