MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg women's volleyball opened the 2021 season in memorable fashion, earning a sweep in tri-match play at the Capital Union Building on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 4. The Lions handled Clarks Summit 3-0 in the opener before taking a thrilling five-setter from Drew in comeback fashion in the day's final outing.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State Harrisburg made it look easy in the season opener, rolling Clarks Summit by set scores of 25-6, 25-18, and 25-10 to pick up the first win of the fall.

The Lions created some early separation following an Alexa Henry service ace that made it 8-3. Olivia Koicuba took over and racked up six aces during a service run that ended with the home team leading 22-5. The Blue & White capped off the first set with back-to-back service aces from Emmaline Stevens. They jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set during a Corrinne Cook service run but the Defenders drew to within one following an attack error. The Lions responded by scoring eight of the next nine points before a Stevens kill off a Megan Morris assist clinched the second set. Penn State Harrisburg never looked back in the third set, racing out to a 10-4 lead before stretching the advantage to 18-7 with a Katie Richardson ace. The Lions scored the final five points, including a deciding service ace from Cook, to wrap up the opening victory.

The second outing was a different story with the same result for Penn State Harrisburg. The Lions dropped the first two sets before rallying to take three straight sets in a 3-2 win by scores of 19-25, 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, and 15-11.

The Blue & White took an early lead is set three before the Rangers pulled ahead 11-10. The home team tallied seven of the next eight points, including kills from Cheyanna Buckingham and Melanie Sheaffer, and kept Drew at bay before Sheaffer closed it out with a service ace. The fourth set was close throughout and with the Lions within one point of defeat, they rallied off four in a row to take the set and force a final game. Penn State Harrisburg pulled ahead 6-2 in the final set thanks to a Stevens kill off an Alyssa Snyder assist but the Rangers eventually took a 10-8 lead. After head coach Angela Burkett burned a timeout, the Lions responded in crunch time and scored seven of the final eight points, capped off by an Anna Ruff kill that secured the thrilling comeback win.

NOTABLES

- Alyssa Snyder racked up 44 assists in the win over Drew; the fourth-highest single-match total in program history.

- Emmaline Stevens racked up a team-high 15 kills against the Rangers, while Cheyanna Buckingham tallied 14 and Melanie Sheaffer added 11.

- Megan Morris posted a team-best 22 digs in the final match, while Alyssa Snyder had 18, Olivia Koicuba added 15, Corrinne Cook dug out 13, and Julia Choe added 11.

- Against Clarks Summit, the Lions combined for 26 service aces.

- In the win over CSU, Cook had nine aces, while Olivia Koicuba added eight of her own.

- Stevens and Sheaffer each had seven kills against the Defenders, while Buckingham finished with six.

- Snyder had 17 assists in the opener, while Morris led the way on defense with four digs.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions return to the court when they host Immaculata at the Capital Union Building on Wednesday night, Sept. 8. 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, and Facebook using the handle @pshbgathletics.