Women’s Volleyball Wins AMCC Opener at Greensburg
GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team started its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schedule with a win on the road Tuesday night, when the Lions swept conference foe Pitt-Greensburg 3-0 in the Chambers Hall Gym.
Penn State Altoona (10-9, 1-0 AMCC) swept Pitt-Greensburg (1-17, 0-1 AMCC) by scores of 25-23, 25-20, and 25-14.
Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) scored a match-high 15 points for the Lions, finishing with eight kills and leading all players on the night with four solo blocks and three service aces. Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) totaled 11 points on 10 kills and a service ace, and she also had 10 digs.
Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) added eight kills and 12 digs, and Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) had six kills.
Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) had a match-high 14 assists, and Madelyn Rockwell (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) recorded 12 assists.
Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) tallied a team-best 14 digs.
In a tightly contested first set, Penn State Altoona found itself trailing 22-21 late. But a kill and ace from Hadley, along with a Pitt-Greensburg setting error, put the Lions in front and got them to set point, 24-22. After the Bobcats scored the next point, a Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) kill ended the set at 25-23 in favor of Penn State Altoona.
Penn State Altoona nursed a modest lead throughout much of the second set, as Pitt-Greensburg stayed within striking distance. Midway through the set, several kills from Myers, Simanski, Brewer, and Hadley set the Lions' advantage at 21-19, and a Myers solo block made it 22-19. One point later, Myers added another kill and back-to-back service aces to account for the set's final three points, handing Penn State Altoona a 25-20 win in the second.
The Lions started the third set by establishing a strong lead, scoring eight of the first 10 points, including getting kills from Simanski and Port and a Myers ace during that span. A Hadley kill later put Penn State Altoona up by seven, 12-5, and three straight points on kills from Hadley and Myers and Emel's ace made it 17-7. A pair of kills from Port got the Lions to set point, 24-14, and another Myers solo block capped the score at 25-14 to clinch the Penn State Altoona sweep.
Women's volleyball returns home to continue its AMCC schedule, as the Lions will host conference foe Hilbert College in Adler Arena this Saturday, October 12, at 1 p.m.