By: Kendis Butler 

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. - Penn State Harrisburg women's volleyball team dropped two matches on Saturday afternoon, where the Lions went up against United East opponents Penn State Berks and Morrisville St. 

In the first match, the Blue & White forced a hard-fought five-setter against Penn State Berks (9-7, 1-1 United East). In the first set, the Lions got down by as much as 11 points before they turned the tides and scored six straight points to tie it 23-23. Penn State Harrisburg came out with the win in the first set 29-27, but dropped the second and third sets 25-15 and 25-16. The Lions earned a lead early in the fourth set and kept that momentum going in the rest of the set to win 25-17. In the final set of the match, although the Lions yet again took an early lead, they were unable to hold onto it and Penn State Berks came away with the total victory. Tori Henderson, Tiniira Tubo, and Anna Ruff were stellar on the offensive end for Penn State Harrisburg, especially with Alyssa Snyder being a consistently impressive setter. On defense, Olivia Koicuba lead the Lions in digs with 27, while Henderson, Megan Morris, Snyder, and Julia Choe also produced numerous digs for the Blue & White. 

The second match proved to be a challenge for Penn State Harrisburg, when Morrisville St. (13-7, 2-0) swept the Lions 3-0. The Blue & White kept the first set close in the early going, but the Mustangs scored six points in a row to end the set 25-11. The second set was a back-and-forth battle to the very end, with the Lions and the Mustangs tying 10 times throughout the set, but unfortunately the home team took that set 25-22 and the final set of the match 25-10. Penn State Harrisburg struggled on offense, while they also were having a hard time defending against the Mustangs' unlimited firepower from the hitters' spots. 

NOTABLES

- Koicuba's 27 digs against Penn State Berks stand as a new career high.

- Henderson followed close behind with 17 digs and she lead the team with 16 kills during the first match. 

- Tubo racked up a career-high kill count of 15 against Penn State Berks. 

- Ruff tallied 12 kills in the first match. 

- Snyder was all over the floor against Penn State Berks, where she produced 45 assists and 13 digs. 

- Morris had 15 digs in the first match, while Choe added 11.

- Koicuba was the only Lion to reach double-digit digs with 13 against Morrisville St. 

WHO'S NEXT? 

The Lions are traveling to Baltimore, Md. on Wednesday night to face off against non-conference opponent Goucher. First serve is set for 7 p.m. 

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.