MIDDLETOWN, Pa- Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team played host on Saturday, Sept. 24 for a tri-match with Misericordia and Albright. Unfortunately for the Lions, the visitors came to town, handled their business at the Capital Union Building and left the home squad with a pair of 3-0 losses, extending the blue and white's recent losing streak to ten games in the process.
Penn State Harrisburg and Albright kicked things off in the first match. The visitors got out to an early 10-2 lead and never looked back, eventually taking the first set 25-9. The Lions played much better in the second set and claimed an early 15-11 advantage. But Albright rallied after a timeout and went on an impressive 14-2 run to take the set 25-17.
In set number three, the blue and white fell behind 18-12 but put together some nice volleys down the stretch and brought the deficit to just two late in the set. In the end however, Albright's offense proved too much to overcome and the home team eventually dropped set number three 25-20.
Middle hitter Chidere Igwe (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) led the way offensively and racked up 8 kills against Albright. Junior middle hitter Michelle Pellechia (Allentown, PA/Catasauqua) dug out 8 balls on defense and freshman setter Maddie Daubert (Pine Grove, PA/Pine Grove) added 14 assists in the losing effort.
Even in defeat it was apparent that the Lions got stronger as the match went on. They carried that momentum into their final match of the afternoon and quickly jumped out to an 8-3 advantage over Misericordia. Penn State Harrisburg kept it close for a while but ultimately fell to the Cougars 25-17 in the first set.
When the visitors took an 18-11 lead in set number two, it looked like the Lions were dead in the water. But Head Coach Bob Creason called a much needed timeout that sparked a tremendous 11-4 run to tie things at 22. Unfortunately, a blue and white error on the following serve opened the door for a 3-1 Misericordia run that clinched the set and gave the Cougars a two sets to none lead.
In the third set, the Lions dug themselves a hole they couldn't climb out of when they fell behind 10-1. They clawed back and put a scare in the visitors when they cut the deficit to just three late in the set, but the comeback effort proved too little too late as Misericordia finished off the set and the match with a 25-18 victory.
Igwe followed up her offensive output in the first match with another strong performance against the Cougars. The sophomore notched 8 more kills and dug out 9 balls in match number two. Daubert once again did her job well, recording 15 more assists and pitching in defensively with 7 digs of her own. Senior captain Carla Martin (Manheim, PA/Homeschooled) and Pellechia chipped in as well with 9 and 8 digs, respectively.
The two sweeps were not indicative of Penn State Harrisburg's play, regardless of what the scoreboard read. The injury bug continued to plague the Lions and freshman Erin Goodyear (Boiling Springs, PA/Boiling Springs) was forced to join sophomore Jocelyn Mitchell (Heath, OH/Heath) on the sidelines to merely watch Saturday's action. The absences left the team without subs for both contests.
The Lions will try to end their skid when they travel to Ursinus for their next match on Tuesday, Sept. 27.