Misericordia 3, Penn State Harrisburg 1
(19-25, 25-18, 27-25, 31-29)
Harrisburg Starters
Sheaffer, Hamm, Imler, Wolf, Miller, Kon, Hossler (L)
MU Starters
Welliver, Gunkle, Watson, Oltman, Pool, May, Wheeler (L)
How It Happened
For the team's 2018 home finale, Penn State Harrisburg hosted a tri-match at the Capital Union Building on Saturday, Oct. 20. The Blue & White opened the day with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Misercordia by set scores of 19-25, 25-18, 27-25 and 31-29.
The Lions (9-15) got out to a 7-2 lead in the first set and stretched their advantage to as much as 16-8 when Victoria Sweatlock registered a kill off an assist from Alexis Imler. MU (21-9) cut the deficit to three late in the game but the home team finished off the set with six of the final nine points, including Kari Ammerman's clinching service ace.
The Blue & White fell behind midway through the second set and were unable to fight back to within more than three points as the game wound down. A service ace by Katelyn Hossler cut the deficit to 18-15 but that as close to a comeback as the Lions would muster.
The Cougars erased an early 6-1 deficit to pull ahead 23-20 late in the third set before Harrisburg roared back with three points in a row to draw even down the stretch. The Lions led 25-24 following a kill by Brittany Wolf but the visitors answered with the final three points to take the game and the lead in the overall match.
The fourth and final set proved wild, as the home team managed an 18-10 lead midway through the game before Misericordia erased the deficit and pulled even at 23-23. The Lions had a crack at game point following another Wolf kill that put them out in front 27-26 but unforced errors proved costly in crunch time, as the Cougars held off the charge and recorded the final two points to escape the CUB with the narrow win.
Inside the Numbers
- Harrisburg hit better than .200 in all four sets, while MU posted a .435 hitting percentage in the second game.
- The Lions were strong at the net, racking up 15 total blocks.
- Brittany Wolf was outstanding for the Blue & White, posting 22 kills on .472 hitting and four blocks.
- Melanie Sheaffer's line was 12 kills, three aces and two stuffs.
- Alexandra Kon hit .368 en route to recording eight kills.
- Setter Alexis Imler assisted on 43 points for Penn State Harrisburg.
- Libero Katelyn Hossler led the way defensively with 18 digs.
- Imler dug out seven balls, while Corrinne Cook added six digs.
Penn State Harrisburg 3, Rutgers-Camden 0
(25-18, 27-25, 25-16)
Harrisburg Starters
Hossler, Sheaffer, Cook, Imler, Wolf, Kon, Ammerman (L)
RC Starters
M. Mulligan, Lowe, J. Mulligan, Lake, D'Ambrosio, Gatling, Newman (L)
How It Happened
Penn State Harrisburg responded from a loss earlier in the day with a resounding 3-0 sweep of Rutgers-Camden in the final contest of a tri-match at the Capital Union Building on Saturday, Oct. 20. The Blue & White went over by set scores of 25-18, 27-25 and 25-16 to end the afternoon.
The Lions (10-15) took the opening set after leading by as much as 15-7 midway through the game following a service ace by Katelyn Hossler. The home team closed out the first set with a Brittany Wolf kill off an Alexis Imler feed and assisted blocks by Alexandra Kon and Imler on back-to-back points.
Harrisburg jumped out to a 7-2 advantage in the second set but the Raptors (9-16) used an 8-1 midway through the game to pull ahead for the first time. Trailing 23-18, the Blue & White responded with a run of their own, reeling off six of the final seven points that came during service runs by Imler and Melanie Sheaffer in extra time.
It was almost all Penn State Harrisburg in the third and final game, with the home team jumping out to a commanding 15-3 lead during service runs by Sheaffer, Kari Ammerman and Corrinne Cook. The visitors drew to within seven late in the set but the Lions closed things out with kills by Hossler and Kerri Miller on consecutive points to complete the sweep.
Inside the Numbers
- Penn State Harrisburg hit better than .220 in all three sets.
- The Lions racked up nine blocks, while Rutgers-Camden managed none.
- The Blue & White were strong on the serve, finishing with 13 aces.
- Brittany Wolf capped her outstanding day with a match-high 10 kills on .444 hitting.
- Melanie Sheaffer added nine kills, while Katlyn Hossler added eight of her own.
- Libero Kari Ammerman dug out a team-high 12 balls, while Corrinne Cook and Alexis Imler added six apiece.
- At the setter position, Imler racked up 30 assists.
- Alexandra Kon had four total blocks against the Raptors.
- Sheaffer and Ammerman combined for seven service aces.
Senior Day
Prior to Penn State Harrisburg's final match of the day, seniors Kari Ammerman, Kerri Miller and Victoria Sweatlock were honored for their contributions to the College's volleyball program and the school as a whole during their time as student-athletes.
Who's Next?
The Lions travel to Frostburg State for their penultimate outing of the regular season on Wednesday night.
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