ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team improved its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference record to a spotless 5-0 on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions swept visiting league foe Pitt-Bradford 3-0 in Adler Arena.

Prior to the start of the match, the Lions program held its Senior Day ceremony, recognizing senior players Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch), Abigail Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PHAA), Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona), and Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte).

After the recognition, Penn State Altoona (14-10, 5-0 AMCC) took care of Pitt-Bradford (3-18, 0-5 AMCC) in straight sets, winning by scores of 25-15, 25-21, and 25-20. The Lions finished the match with a season-best .239 attack percentage as a team.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) led all players in the match with 15.5 points for the Lions, recording 13 kills, one service ace, one solo block, and a block assist to go along with 12 digs. Myers had 14 points on 12 kills, an ace, and a solo block, and Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) contributed 11 points on nine kills and a pair of aces.

Port totaled eight points on five kills and a match-high four total blocks, tallying two solo blocks and two block assists. Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) had seven points on seven kills, and Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona) chipped in 3.5 points on three kills and a block assist.

Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) finished with a match-high 28 assists while adding 12 digs and two aces, and Madelyn Rockwell (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) contributed 15 assists.

Batrus ended with a team-high 15 digs, and Brinker recorded seven digs.

Penn State Altoona started the opening set by scoring the first four points on kills by Myers and Brewer and solo blocks from Myers and Simanski. Price and Port later combined for a block that increased the Lions' lead to 12-5, and a Rockwell kill kept the difference at seven, 14-7. Up 15-10, Penn State Altoona embarked on a 6-0 run consisting entirely of kills, including two apiece from Myers and Simanski. Price scored a kill to end the set at 25-15, in favor of the Lions.

Pitt-Bradford worked its way out to a 12-10 lead in the second set, before Penn State Altoona went on another 6-0 run that included two Emel aces. Two Myers kills, a Port kill, and a Brinker ace set the Lions' lead at 20-17, and a Simanski ace got the home team to set point, 24-18. Port's kill clinched a 25-21 victory in the second set, and Penn State Altoona headed to the third with a 2-0 lead in the match.

Kills from Brewer, Myers, and Simanski helped Penn State Altoona get out to a 4-3 lead in the third set. Later, holding a slight 9-8 advantage, the Lions scored six points in a row, including two Hadley aces, to expand their lead to 15-8. Kills from Brewer and Myers, as well as a Myers ace, made it 18-9. Pitt-Bradford battled back to narrow its deficit to two points, 19-17, but Penn State Altoona used kills from Simanski, Price, and Hadley to boost its lead back to five, 23-18. Two Pitt-Bradford attack errors accounted for the Lions' last two points, and Penn State Altoona took the third set 25-20 to clinch the sweep of the Panthers.

Women's volleyball returns to action on Wednesday, October 30, when the Lions will host nearby AMCC rival Mount Aloysius College for a 7 p.m. match in Adler Arena. That match is the team's Dig Pink Night, and all fans are encouraged to wear in pink to show support for the fight against breast cancer.