MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team jumped out to an early advantage and held on for a four-set victory over Hood at the Capital Union Building on Thursday night, Sept. 30.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State Harrisburg (8-5) defeated Hood (2-9) by set scores of 25-22, 25-14, 17-25, and 25-19 to secure the team's second straight win on Thursday night.
The Lions led by as many as six points in the opening set before the visitors rallied late to tie things up at 21-21 but an Anna Ruff kill and multiple Hood attack errors sparked a set-deciding 4-1 run for Penn State Harrisburg in crunch time.
The Blue & White led 11-9 in the second set before a Melanie Sheaffer kill started a momentum-shifting 14-5 run that included seven points in a row during a Julia Choe service span. Ruff and Sheaffer capped off set two with back-to-back kills to give the Lions a 2-0 overall advantage.
The Blazers used an 11-2 start to the third set to run away with it before Penn State Harrisburg responded in the fourth game. With the score tied 5-5 early on, the Lions managed a 9-1 run that included a Megan Morris service ace and a kill by Ruff. The visitors cut the deficit to one at 14-13 but back-to-back points from Megan Hamm reversed the momentum before the Blue & White closed things out and sealed the overall victory behind kills from Ruff and Morris.
NOTABLES
- Anna Ruff led the way offensively with nine kills. Emmaline Stevens had seven, while Melanie Sheaffer and Cheyanna Buckingham.
- Megan Morris dug out a match-high 20 attempts. Alyssa Snyder had 13 digs and Corrinne Cook chipped in with 10.
- Snyder racked up a match-best 34 assists to go along with four kills and a block assist.
- Ruff had four block assists, Sheaffer recorded three, and Tiniira Tubo finished with two.
- Morris and Julia Choe each had two service aces.
- Tubo and Megan Hamm also tallied four kills apiece.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions head to Notre Dame (Md.) for a non-conference tri-match with the hosts and St. Elizabeth on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 2.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the handle @pshbgathletics.