MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – It's rare when a student-athlete turns in a performance so memorable that it's talked about years after that player completes his or her collegiate career. Rarer still is the player who sets a school record and etches their name in that program's history book. Most impressive of all, however, is the student-athlete who accomplishes something never done before on a national scale; namely, setting an NCAA record.
Entering the 2013-14 athletic season, only one Penn State Harrisburg student-athlete had stamped their name among the NCAA's all-time greats. All that changed just 13 matches into the women's volleyball team's 2013 campaign. Senior Bree Green (Philadelphia, Pa. / Cardinal Dougherty) became just the second Lion to join the NCAA's illustrious club when she served for a record-breaking 24 consecutive points during the final set of the Blue & White's 3-0 road victory over Trinity (DC) on Friday night, Sep. 20.
Green's output was backed up by her teammates' ability to keep the Tigers from breaking the serve and the Lions went on to wrap up the sweep thanks to a 25-1 decision in the third and deciding set.
Green got help offensively from freshman Marion Chlipala (Cape Coral, Fla. / Oasis Charter), the team's leader in kills with eight, and fellow senior Chidere Igwe (West Orange, N.J. / West Orange) who chipped in with five kills.
Defensively, junior Erin Goodyear (Boiling Springs, Pa. / Boiling Springs) led the way with 11 digs while senior captain Elizabeth Findley (New Providence, Pa. / Solanco) and junior captain Jessica Farabaugh (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area) added eight digs apiece. Findley, one of the squad's setters, also led the Lions in assists with ten.
Green recorded three service aces during her record-breaking stretch in the back right corner of Penn State Harrisburg's formation while adding two digs and an assist during the entirety of the three set contest.
The senior outside hitter joined former Penn State Harrisburg softball standout Kara Boyd (Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley) as the only other Blue & White student-athlete to earn a spot in the NCAA record book. In the spring of 2010, Boyd recorded a hit in 17 straight at-bats; a streak that stands as the best in NCAA Division III history to this day.
As far as Green's record goes, only two possibilities exist if it is to be broken in the future: with the score tied 0-0, a team would have to score 25 consecutive points while one player served for the duration of the set or with a team trailing 24-0, that team would have to reel off 26 straight points in order to win the set by two points, as per NCAA rule, while one player served during the entire run.
While the old adage "records are made to be broken" holds true in any sport, for now, Green's accomplishment stands alone.
Be sure to check back later as we continue counting down Penn State Harrisburg's top ten moments of the 2013-14 season. After showcasing Green's record-breaking effort, we'll relive another record book-worthy performance; this time from an entire team as it pulled off something never before done in program history…