by Casey Burinskas

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team returned to the road Saturday afternoon to compete in a tri-match hosted by Susquehanna University in its O.W. Houts Gymnasium.

The Lions (3-8) began their day with a victory, posting a 3-0 sweep over York College (Pa.). But Penn State Altoona was swept in its second match, when host Susquehanna defeated the Lions 3-0.

Match One: Penn State Altoona 3, York 0

Penn State Altoona played York (5-6) in its first match of the day, and the Lions were looking for redemption after Thursday's loss to the Spartans. Penn State Altoona found it with a 3-0 sweep of York, winning by scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-18.

Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) put up a match-high 16 points for Penn State Altoona, scoring nine kills, two block assists, and leading all players with six service aces. Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) contributed 11 points with a match-best 10 kills and two block assists.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) had 9.5 points on seven kills, two aces, and a block assist, and she also tied for the match lead in digs with 13. Makiya Mack (Philipsburg, PA/West Branch) added 8.5 points on four kills, three aces, and three block assists, and Jayden Ulmer (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) recorded seven points on four kills and a match-best six block assists.

Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) led all players in the match in assists with 16, while Marlo Mellish (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) chipped in eight assists.

Brianna Woodring (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) tied for the match lead in digs with 13.

The Lions opened up the first set with Emel putting up an ace to spark the first point. Kills from Hadley and Brewer kept the score tight, while a block by Simanski and Mack gave Altoona an early lead. After York came back to lead by a score of 7-4, Altoona responded with big points. Mellish set up Simanski for a kill, and Simanski finished with an ace to push the Lions back into the lead, 10-8. Woodring added a service ace soon after, and Mack delivered back-to-back kills to keep Altoona in front 16-10. The Spartans tried for a comeback, soaring on multiple Lion attack errors to grab a 19-18 lead. But Altoona answered with Simanski breaking a tie 19-19 with a kill, and Mack followed with a service ace to put the score at 21-19. Ulmer and Johanna Heckman (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) stopped York at the net on a block to get to set point, and Mellish set up Simanski for a kill as the Lions took the first set 25-20.

In the second set, the Lions came out quickly, as Hadley opened with a kill and followed it up with an ace to make it 2-0. Brewer and Mack teamed up for an early block, and a service error by York helped Altoona keep its 4-1 lead. York fought back, putting together points off a service ace and kill to go up 7-5. But Altoona answered with Simanski delivering a kill and a service ace, and Heckman and Ulmer made a big block to tie the set at 8-8. From there, the Lions and Spartans traded points in a back-and-forth battle. Hadley delivered another ace to push Altoona ahead 12-11, but York rallied again later, leaning on Altoona errors to take a 16-13 lead. The Lions jumped back ahead when they found a late push from Hadley and Brewer, sealing the set with a kill and ending it with a 25-21 win to put Altoona at 2-0 in the match.

Penn State Altoona set the tone early in the third set, racing out to a 6-1 lead on kills from Brewer and Hadley, along with two service aces from Hadley. Mack kept the pressure on with an ace to stretch the margin to 9-2. York fought back, using a 6-0 run to trim the Lions' lead from seven points to one, 17-16. But Altoona quickly regained control. Brewer responded with another kill, Brewer and Ulmer combined for a block, and Ulmer chipped in at the net to rebuild the advantage. The Lions finished strong, as Simanski added two late kills and Heckman sealed the set at 25-18 with a final kill, ending with a 3-0 win.

Match Two: Susquehanna 3, Penn State Altoona 0

Later in the afternoon, the Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team went up against host Susquehanna (2-10), which ultimately defeated the Lions 3-0. The River Hawks took the match in three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-15, and 25-19.

Hannah Swank (Boswell, PA/Conemaugh Township) scored a match-high 14 points for the Lions on 13 kills and two block assists. Hadley added nine points on eight kills and a service ace, and Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) contributed five points, all coming on kills.

Emel tallied 15 assists to go along with 10 digs, and Mellish put up 11 assists.

Woodring finished with a team-best 22 digs.

The Lions started the first set strong with early kills from Swank and Fussell, trading points with the River Hawks to keep the score close at 7-7. Trailing 16-10 later, Swank and Fussell added more kills, and a service ace from Kyla Campbell (Altoona, PA/Great Commission) pulled Altoona within 16-14 midway through the set. Susquehanna responded with a run that forced two Penn State Altoona timeouts, stretching its lead to 19-15. The Lions got late kills from Hadley and Ulmer, but despite the efforts, Susquehanna capitalized on some Altoona errors to break away with the first set 25-20.

The River Hawks started fast in the second set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and forcing an early timeout from the Lions. Altoona answered with kills from Swank, Fussell, and Simanski, as well as a block from Mack and Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona), to pull a score of 10-6. Despite the efforts later in the set, Susquehanna regained control behind service aces and strong front-row play, stretching their lead to 20-11. Simanski continued to provide a small spark for the Lions, putting up another kill late in the set, and Swank connected on a pair of kills set up by Mellish to keep Altoona within striking distance. In the end, Susquehanna's offense stayed steady and was able to close the set with a win of 25-15.

In the third, Penn State Altoona came out ready to take the match back, grabbing the early edge behind a service ace from Hadley, a kill from Campbell, and steady play from the Lions' offense. The two sides traded points through the middle of the set, with Swank, Mellish, and Hadley contributing kills to keep Altoona within striking distance at 12-10. Susquehanna fought back to extend its lead to 20-15. The Lions answered with late plays, as Hadley and Swank each put down kills to cut the deficit to 23-19. Despite the rally, the River Hawks closed the door with a Lions error and a service ace to secure the 25-19 set win, sealing the match in three sets.

Next, the Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team will play Chatham University in Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 25 at 7 p.m.