WINCHESTER, Va. – Penn State Altoona women's volleyball returned to action Saturday, competing in the second and final day of the Shenandoah University Invitational at the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics and Events Center.

The Lions (3-5) began their day with a morning match against host Shenandoah, who handed Penn State Altoona a 3-1 loss. In the afternoon match, the Lions bounced back to pick up a 3-1 victory over Hood College.

Match One: Shenandoah 3, Penn State Altoona 1

Shenandoah (4-3) began the match with a dominant win in the opening set, prevailing 25-7. Penn State Altoona awoke in the second set to record a 25-19 victory, but the host Hornets answered with wins of 25-17 and 25-13 in the next two sets to take the match.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) scored a team-high 12 points on 11 kills and a service ace, and she also led the Lions in digs with 12. Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) had nine points on seven kills, two block assists, and one solo block, and Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona) contributed seven points on six kills and a pair of block assists.

Madelyn Rockwell (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) totaled a team-best 17 assists, and Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) had 10 assists to go along with eight digs.

Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) also tallied eight digs, and Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) served up a team-leading two aces.

Penn State Altoona was plagued by miscues in the opening set, including committing 10 attack errors. The Lions managed to get out to a 3-2 lead after a kill from Simanski and back-to-back aces from Myers, but Shenandoah reeled off eight straight points to jump ahead, 10-3. The Hornets expanded their lead throughout the rest of the set, outscoring Penn State Altoona 15-4 from that point to grab a 25-7 victory.

The Lions bounced back in the second set to win it by six. Myers and Price teamed up on a block to help their team work its way out to a five-point lead, 9-4, and a three-point run that included kills from Simanski and Port helped to boost the advantage to seven, 16-9. Holding a 20-18 lead later, Penn State Altoona scored five of the next six points to take the second set 25-19 and even the match score.

Shenandoah answered with an eight-point win in the third set. Midway through the set, kills from Simanski and Price, along with a Port solo block, helped keep Penn State Altoona within two points of the Hornets, 14-12. But Shenandoah was able to post an 11-5 scoring advantage over the Lions for the remainder of the set, winning it 25-17 to reclaim the lead in the match.

Penn State Altoona held a lead in the middle stages of the fourth set, before Shenandoah finished the set on a big run to claim a 12-point victory. Early kills from Simanski, Port, and Price helped the Lions to a 10-7 advantage, and another Simanski kill broke a tie to make it 11-10. But the Hornets held Penn State Altoona to only two points for the rest of the set, ending the set on a 15-2 run to win it 25-13.

Match Two: Penn State Altoona 3, Hood 1

The Lions came back from a one-set deficit to defeat Hood (2-3) in four sets. After the Blazers took the opening set 25-22, Penn State Altoona secured wins in the next three by scores of 25-21, 25-18, and 25-21.

Simanski finished with a match-high 23 points on 20 kills and three aces to go along with 11 digs, and Myers totaled 12 points on nine kills and three aces. Price chipped in eight points on seven kills and two block assists, and Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) had 6.5 points on six kills and a block assist, while also recording 14 digs.

Rockwell tallied 21 assists, and Emel earned 16 assists while dealing a match-high five service aces.

Batrus led all players in the match with 24 digs while also serving up a trio of aces.

Penn State Altoona finished with a season-high 17 aces as a team.

With the score tied 2-2 in the first set, Penn State Altoona embarked on an 8-0 run that included two kills apiece from Hadley and Port. Hood rallied to eventually tie the score at 15-15, and the Blazers fought their way into the lead, 21-20. A kill from Myers and a Hood attack error kept the Lions within one, 23-22, late in the set, but the Blazers scored the next two points to take the set by a score of 25-22.

Penn State Altoona regrouped in the second set, working its way out to a big lead and then hanging on to win it. The Lions scored the first four points of the set, en route to establishing a 12-4 advantage. Kills from Simanski in the middle stages of the set, along with a duo block from Price and Port, put Penn State Altoona's lead at six points, 19-13. Hood clawed its way back to within two points, 23-21, but a kill by Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) and an ace from Myers gave the Lions a 25-21 victory.

A late Lions' run in the third set handed Penn State Altoona a seven-point win. The teams found themselves tied 18-18 after a closely contested set, but Penn State Altoona proceeded to score the final seven points of the set. The 7-0 run was keyed by two kills from Price, one kill apiece from Simanski and Myers, and a pair of Batrus service aces to give the Lions a lead in the match after a 25-18 set win.

In the fourth set, Penn State Altoona worked its way in front late in the set to win it. The Lions built an 11-7 lead early, before Hood came back to eventually take a 15-14 advantage. The teams exchanged points and found themselves deadlocked at 18-18, but a Hood attack error and two Emel aces put Penn State Altoona up 21-18. A kill by Myers kept the difference at three, 23-20, as did a block from Brewer and Emel that got it to set point, 24-21. Simanski scored a kill on the next play to end the set at 25-21 and clinch a match win for Penn State Altoona.

Penn State Altoona women's volleyball is back on the court this Wednesday, September 11, when the Lions will host their home opener at 7 p.m. in Adler Arena against Geneva College.