MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – For the second time this season, Penn State Harrisburg was swept by Dickinson in straight sets. After falling to the Red Devils in the 2013 season-opener at Gettysburg's Battlefield Classic in late August, the Lions fell to the visitors 25-17, 25-16 and 25-20 at the Capital Union Building (CUB) on Tuesday night, Sep. 24.
The first set saw Dickinson jump out to a quick lead due to several unforced errors on the part of the Blue & White. Trailing by double-digits late in the set, the Lions fought back and drew within five points but ultimately the ladies couldn't overcome their early, sloppy play and fell 25-17. The second set was tightly contested until the midway point when the Red Devils used a key run to put the game out of reach and take a 2-0 overall lead. Penn State Harrisburg played its best volleyball of the night in the third set and even held a lead midway through but in the end, Dickinson was too consistent and stormed back to take the set and match.
Freshman Marion Chlipala (Cape Coral, Fla. / Oasis Charter) led the way offensively and recorded six kills on 22 attempts. Sophomore Olivia Umoren (Quincy, Mass. / North Quincy) added four kills while sophomores Kiara Carter (Bronx, N.Y. / Milton Hershey) and Megan Sheaffer (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area) chipped in with three apiece.
The team's defensive specialists in junior Erin Goodyear (Boiling Springs, Pa. / Boiling Springs) and sophomore Melissa Ganz (Weston, Fla. / Cypress Bay) led the team in digs with eight each while junior captain Jessica Farabaugh (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area) dug out six balls of her own.
Setters Elizabeth Findley (New Providence, Pa. / Solanco) and Katie Shek (Old Bridge, N.J. / Old Bridge) combined for 19 total assists. Findley, the squad's senior captain, accounted for 11 while Shek pitched in with nine.
The Red Devils made less mistakes and were more fine down the line as evidenced by the team's .220 hitting percentage compared to the Blue & White's number of .073.
After a dominating victory over Trinity (D.C.) last Friday night, Penn State Harrisburg will try to shake the loss to Dickinson and get back on track when the Lions take part in a tri-match at Ursinus this Saturday, Sep. 28. The pair of contests are the team's last before they begin Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) play next Wednesday, Oct. 2.