ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – Penn State Harrisburg played some of its best sets of the year and fell just short of knocking off Wesley in the team's first Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) match on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The ladies' second league outing came in tri-match play at St. Mary's (Md.) on Saturday, Oct. 5. The Lions fell to the host Seahawks 3-0 in their first match before dropping another 3-0 decision to Virginia Wesleyan in the nightcap.
The Blue & White struggled offensively against the talented Seahawk squad and fell in three sets by line score of 25-12, 25-15 and 25-11. In the first set, the Lions managed just three kills on 27 attempts and it was actually junior captain Jessica Farabaugh (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area), a libero/defensive specialist, who led the team in kills with four. St. Mary's racked up 39 kills compared to Penn State Harrisburg's 17.
Junior Erin Goodyear (Boiling Springs, Pa. / Boiling Springs) dug out a team-high seven balls defensively while sophomore Katie Shek (Old Bridge, N.J. / Old Bridge) added six. Shek also assisted on six Penn State Harrisburg points.
The second match saw the Blue & White fall to Virginia Wesleyan in similar fashion, with the Marlins topping the ladies 25-14, 25-9 and 25-11 on a neutral court.
Penn State Harrisburg again struggled offensively and managed just two kills in the match's second set. This time, the opponent out-killed the Lions 48-17. The team's hitters were a bit better in matchup number two, however, with senior Chidere Igwe (West Orange, N.J. / West Orange) leading the way with five kills while sophomore Kiara Carter (Bronx, N.Y. / Milton Hershey) pitched in with four.
Goodyear again played well defensively and the team's leader in digs did her job by recording 14 more against the Marlins. Senior captain Elizabeth Findley (New Providence, Pa. / Solanco) added five and Shek pitched in with four.
Findley and Shek also combined for 13 of Penn State Harrisburg's 15 assists.
The pair of defeats dropped the Lions to 4-15 overall while the loss to St. Mary's kept them winless in conference play (0-2). They will look to regroup before they travel to Marymount (Va.) for the team's next outing, another league matchup, on Wednesday night, Oct. 9.