MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg came flying out of the gate in the team's match against Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) opponent Frostburg State on Wednesday night, Oct. 16. The Lions jumped on the visiting Bobcats and took the first set 25-12. Unfortunately for those in attendance at the Capital Union Building, the ladies could not keep up the frenetic pace and eventually fell to Frostburg in four sets by scores of 12-25, 25-17, 25-20 and 25-16.
"After coming out with a potent offense in the first set, we didn't seem to be prepared when the Frostburg players started blocking and playing much more aggressively with back line hits," said Penn State Harrisburg Head Coach Bob Creason. "When our offense failed, our players became nervous and couldn't get back in gear."
The Lions grabbed a sizeable advantage over Frostburg before the Bobcats knew what hit them and parlayed that into a fairly easy first set victory at 25-12. The visitors bounced back in the second game, nabbing the early lead and never looking back. Frostburg was able to keep a comfortable cushion throughout the second set and eventually evened the match thanks to a 25-17 win. Penn State Harrisburg started the third set the same way it did the first; by quickly taking a sizeable lead. Things didn't play out as they did in the opener, however, and the Bobcats refused to roll over and eventually earned the advantage midway through the match. Though the Lions kept things close, they weren't able to rally and in the end fell 25-20. Frostburg State completed the team's victory by dominating the final set as the Lions committed too many unforced errors to emerge victorious. The Bobcats took advantage of the ladies' mistakes and won took the set 25-16 to win their first CAC match of the season in the process.
The Blue & White struggled offensively following the opening game as senior Chidere Igwe (West Orange, N.J. / West Orange) and freshman Marion Chlipala (Oasis Charter) led the team in kills but only managed five apiece; nearly half of the team's total of 22.
As she has in most of the team's matches this fall, junior Erin Goodyear (Boiling Springs, Pa. / Boiling Springs) racked up the most digs with 11. Senior Elizabeth Findley (New Providence, Pa. / Solanco) chipped in with nine of her own while Chlipala dug out five balls.
Findley teamed up with sophomore Katie Shek (Old Bridge, N.J. / Old Bridge) to record 15 of Penn State Harrisburg's 16 assists. Shek led the way with nine, Findley pitched in with six and Chlipala added a lone assist.
The frustrating loss dropped the Lions to 5-18 on the year and kept them winless in conference play (0-4). Penn State Harrisburg's next contest takes them offsite while still being qualified as a home match. The Blue & White hosts another CAC opponent in 2012 NCAA tournament final four qualifier Christopher Newport at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex on Friday evening, Oct. 18.