Posted: Oct 24, 2012
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg welcomed Dickinson to the Capital Union Building for a late-season non-conference matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Prior to the contest, four-year players Miranda Jumper (Lebanon, Pa. / Lebanon) and Michelle Pellechia (Allentown, Pa. / Catasauqua) were honored by family, friends and fans for their dedication to the women's volleyball program. Despite showcasing one of their best performances of the season in the match's final set, the Lions were unable to grab the victory and fell to the visitors 3-0.
The Blue and White fell by a score of 25-8 in the first set as the ladies struggled to get going offensively. Penn State Harrisburg managed just three kills, two from sophomore captain Monica Bishop (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) and the other by Jumper. Head Coach Bob Creason used a timeout with his team trailing 12-2 but it did little to slow Dickinson's momentum.
The second set was more competitive. The ladies fell behind early but kept things close thanks to a Pellechia kill that cut the deficit to 10-6. Junior Chidere Igwe (West Orange, N.J. / West Orange) used a kill of her own to keep the score manageable at 12-7. The Lions were unable to get any closer however, as the Red Devils closed it out on an impressive 13-1 run.
Although a losing effort, the third and final set proved to be one of the Lions best of the 2012 campaign. The Blue and White scored the first point and after falling behind 2-1, Igwe slammed home a kill to tie things up. With her team trailing 9-6, Bishop sparked the ladies with back-to-back kills before tying the score at 11 with another spike a few volleys later. Well-placed tips by Pellechia and freshman Kiara Carter (Bronx, N.Y. / Milton Hershey) cut the Red Devils lead to one point before Penn State Harrisburg tied it up at 17 apiece.
But the home team would never regain the lead as Dickinson wrapped up the set and the match with a timely 8-3 run. The Lions' heart was there. Unfortunately the points were not.
Jumper led the team in digs with nine while Bishop and sophomore Erin Goodyear (Boiling Springs, Pa. / Boiling Springs) followed the senior's lead nicely by digging out eight balls apiece. Bishop put up the best numbers offensively by recording six kills. Pellechia chipped-in with five of her own. Junior Beth Findley (New Providence, Pa. / Solanco) and freshman Katie Shek (Old Bridge, N.J. / Old Bridge), the team's setters, each added nine assists.
With the loss, Penn State Harrisburg fell to 7-22 but the defeat did not put a damper on the evening's festivities. Jumper and Pellechia are two of a handful of ladies to play all four years and their accomplishments didn't go unnoticed.
Jumper is one the Lions' 2012 team captains and her 112 matches played and 518 career digs are both good enough for second-most in program history. Pellechia is Penn State Harrisburg's all-time leader in matches played (119) and service aces (130).
"Miranda worked to become indispensable on defense and has become an all-around quality player as a senior," said Creason. "She accepted and excelled in her role as captain this year in keeping the players focused and aiding the coaches immensely."
"Michelle had the tough task of going up against taller players all the time and she has become a very good timing blocker as evidenced by her stats," he continued. "The players and coaches could always count on her for her consistency."
Penn State Harrisburg wraps up its 2012 campaign this Saturday, Oct. 27 when the Lions travel to Messiah College to take on the host Eagles in the first match before facing Goucher later that afternoon in the team's season-finale.