BALTIMORE – Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team picked up a pair of victories in tri-match play on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 2. The Lions swept St. Elizabeth 3-0 in their opener before defeating the hosts from Notre Dame (Md.) 3-1 to wrap up competition.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State Harrisburg made quick work of St. Elizabeth during a three-set sweep in the team's first match on Saturday afternoon, topping the Eagles 25-9, 25-9, and 25-2.
The Lions raced out to a 5-1 lead in set one following a Corrinne Cook service ace and stretched the lead to 11-5 behind a Tori Henderson kill. Then came a decisive 8-0 run during a Megan Morris service run that pushed the advantage to 19-6 before a kill by Megan Hamm and an ace from Tiniira Tubo wrapped it up.
It was more of the same in the second game, as the Blue & White got out to a 12-3 lead following a kill from Alyssa Snyder. The Lions scored nine of the game's final 10 points during a run that included kills by Henderson, Anna Ruff, and Emmaline Stevens before a Julia Choe ace clinched it.
The final set was all Penn State Harrisburg. A 9-0 run to begin the third game included three aces by Snyder and preceded another 9-0 run that was highlighted by three service aces from Cook. The Lions closed things out with a 7-0 run that ended the set and secured the match for the Blue & White.
Penn State Harrisburg followed it up with a four-set victory over Notre Dame (Md.), securing the win thanks to set scores of 16-25, 25-12, 25-11, and 25-13.
After dropping the opening set, the Lions responded by jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the second game. The hometown Gators cut the deficit to 12-9 but the Blue & White responded with a crucial 10-1 run to close out the set, topped off by a Katie Richardson service ace.
The visitors left little doubt in the third game, racing out to a 9-1 advantage following a Tubo service ace and leading by as many as 16 points thanks to a Melanie Sheaffer kill off a Richardson assist before Choe put a bow on it by registering the clinching kill.
The Lions erased an early three-point deficit in the fourth set and put together a dominant 18-5 run down the stretch to turn a competitive game into a laugher. Back-to-back service aces from Choe put a cap on the match and secured the tri-match sweep.
NOTABLES
- Tori Henderson had a team-high eight kills in the opener, while Tiniira Tubo registered seven and Megan Hamm added five.
- Alyssa Snyder assisted on 27 points against St. Elizabeth.
- Corrinne Cook tallied five service aces in the win over the Eagles. Snyder added three, while Tubo and Olivia Koicuba had two apiece.
- Snyder and Cook also led the way with eight digs each in the first match, while Megan Morris chipped in with seven.
- Against Notre Dame (Md.), Melanie Sheaffer racked up a team-best eight kills. Cheyanna Buckingham recorded seven and Anna Ruff added six.
- Katie Richardson led the way with 19 assists against the Gators.
- Tubo had three aces in the last match, while Morris, Koicuba, and Julia Choe registered two each.
- Morris and Koicuba also tallied a team-high 11 digs against the hosts.
- Ruff had three block assists in the final match, while Buckingham, Henderson, and Tubo had two apiece.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions travel to Penn State Altoona for a non-conference match on Tuesday night, Oct. 5. 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.