ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team posted its first home sweep of the season on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions defeated non-conference opponent Wilkes University 3-0 in Adler Arena.

Penn State Altoona (9-8) pulled out a close 25-22 victory in the first set, then took care of Wilkes (3-8) by more comfortable margins in the second and third sets, which the Lions won 25-17 and 25-12.

Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) racked up a match-high 15 points for Penn State Altoona, leading all players on the day with eight kills, five service aces, and two solo blocks.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) contributed nine points on nine kills while adding 10 digs, and Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona) scored 6.5 points on six kills and a block assist.

Madelyn Rockwell (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) led the Lions in assists with 14, and Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) recorded 12 assists.

Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) totaled a team-high 13 digs.

Penn State Altoona finished the afternoon with its best attack percentage in a match this season to date, swinging at a .233 clip as a unit.

The Lions started the opening set by establishing a 5-3 lead, helped by two aces and a kill from Myers. An ace from Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) put Penn State Altoona up 10-9, and a four-point run by the Lions shortly thereafter – including three Simanski kills – made it 16-11. Two Price kills and one Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) kill helped Penn State Altoona put its advantage at 23-18. Wilkes closed the gap to one when the Colonels scored four in a row to narrow Penn State Altoona's lead to 23-22, but a Myers kill and Wilkes attack error ended the set at 25-22, in favor of the home squad.

Wilkes led for much of the second set, before Penn State Altoona overtook the lead to win by eight points. With the Colonels up 9-6, the Lions used a 5-0 run that consisted of four Wilkes errors and a Hadley kill to leap ahead, 11-9. The Colonels scored the next three points to grab a one-point lead, but Penn State Altoona responded with kills from Price and Simanski, as well as a Batrus ace, to get back in front, 14-12, and the Lions never trailed for the rest of the set. Leading 17-16, Penn State Altoona scored eight of the next nine points, including a duo block by Price and Port that ended the set at 25-17.

The third set began with four straight points by the Lions, as a Wilkes service error, Myers solo block and kill, and Hadley ace gave the home team a 4-0 lead. Two more Myers aces and a Port kill increased Penn State Altoona's advantage to 8-3, and kills from Price and Simanski, along with a Rockwell ace, made it 11-3. Later, two Gabriella Serra (Queens, NY/Benjamin Cardozo) aces and kills from Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County), Hannah Thompson (Reynoldsville, PA/Homeschool), Myers, and Simanski helped boost the Lions' lead to 22-9. Fussell scored another kill to get Penn State Altoona to set point, and a final Wilkes error gave the Lions a 25-12 victory in the set, clinching the match sweep.

Penn State Altoona women's volleyball returns to the road for its next match, as the Lions will complete the season home-and-home series with non-conference opponent Chatham University. Penn State Altoona will travel to play the Cougars on Tuesday, October 1, at 7 p.m.