by Casey Burinskas

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team returned to action Tuesday night with a road match against non-conference opponent Lycoming College, and the Lions failed to put up a win over the Warriors, as the home team came out on top, 3-1, in the Lamade Gymnasium.

Penn State Altoona (2-6) was able to pull out a 26-24 win in the first set, but Lycoming (5-6) rallied to take the next three by scores of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-22.

Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) recorded a team-high 18 assists for the Lions to surpass the 1,000-assist mark for her collegiate volleyball career, finishing the match with 1,001 career assists.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) put up a match-high 20 points on 19 kills and two block assists, while Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) scored 12 points on eight kills and a team-best four service aces. Jayden Ulmer (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) added seven points on five kills and four block assists, and Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) had 6.5 points on six kills and a block assist.

Marlo Mellish (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) contributed 10 assists, and Brooklyn Myers (Grassflat, PA/West Branch) added eight assists.

Brianna Woodring (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) notched a team-best 10 digs to go along with five assists and three aces.

In the opening set against Lycoming, Altoona came out battling in a back-and-forth set that featured long rallies and swinging momentum. After the Lions took the first point on a Lycoming service error, the two teams traded scores, with kills from Brewer and Simanski helping Altoona keep pace. Midway through, Altoona came together and went on a run sparked by Woodring's service ace, and a pair of kills from Simanski and Hadley, along with three straight Hadley aces, pushed their lead to 17-12. Lycoming responded by setting the score at 18-18 after a kill from their side. Both sides traded points down in the final stages of the set, when Brewer and Hadley put up kills to keep Altoona level, and Simanski added another kill at the net to put the Lions ahead 23-22. After Lycoming tied it back up, the Lions remained calm in the extra points, where Simanski delivered a kill set up by Emel. Hadley was able to end the set with a service ace to seal a 26-24 win for Penn State Altoona.

Lycoming responded in the second, taking control late in the set. The set started evenly, as both teams traded points behind steady hitting. Altoona got early kills from Simanski, Hadley, and Ulmer to keep things close, and Brewer added a point at the net to put her team up by one, 10-9. The Lions briefly snuck ahead 13-10, thanks to a Warriors setting error and two kills by Simanski. But Lycoming rallied, as consistent scoring from the Warriors and errors from the Lions pushed the home team ahead, 22-16. Altoona fought to stay within reach, with Hadley and Brewer scoring kills and Emel dropping in a service ace that cut the score to 22-19. Despite the late push, the Warriors delivered multiple kills down the stretch to seal a 25-20 victory and square the match at one set apiece.

Lycoming carried its momentum into the third set and used a strong offense to take away another set from the Lions. Early on, the two teams went point-for-point, with Altoona getting a kill from Ulmer to stay within one point of the Warriors' lead, 4-3. But Lycoming quickly found rhythm, putting together multiple kills while also scoring service aces to put their lead at 13-6. The Lions tried to stay in it with plays from Hadley and Simanski, as well as a service ace by Woodring that brought the score to 14-10. Brewer and Simanski added kills later in the set, but Lycoming did not let up. Altoona managed a late point from Hadley to reach 14, but Lycoming closed the door with a 25-14 win to complete the third set.

Coming down to the fourth and ultimately final set, Altoona fought hard to extend the match while Lycoming aimed to close it out. The Lions struck first with a kill from Hadley, but Lycoming answered quickly with kills and service aces to advance ahead, 9-1. Altoona regrouped after a timeout and started chipping away at the difference in score. Service aces from Makiya Mack (Philipsburg, PA/West Branch) and Myers, along with multiple kills from Simanski and Johanna Heckman (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis), helped the Lions close the distance to 15-11. The Lions also put up a big block from Simanski and Ulmer, combining to stop Lycoming at the net and keep the score difference at four points, 19-15. Myers was able to set up a kill for Simanski, followed by another from Ulmer, to make it 20-18, but the Warriors fought to stay ahead and brought their lead to 23-19. Despite Altoona's best efforts, Lycoming sealed the victory at 25-22, giving the Warriors the match in four sets.

Next on the radar, the Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team will face off against York College (Pa.) on the road this Thursday, September 18 at 7 p.m.