by Luke Atherton

LATROBE, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's volleyball traveled to the Robert S. Carey Center on Tuesday night to take on non-conference opponent Saint Vincent College. The Lions started the evening by dropping the opening set to the Bearcats, but Penn State Altoona bounced back and won a back-and-forth match 3-2.

St. Vincent (1-4) won the first set 25-17, but Penn State Altoona (2-5) answered with a 25-21 victory in the second set. The teams again traded sets, with the Bearcats coming out on top, 25-21, in the third set, before the Lions took the fourth set 25-18. In the fifth, Penn State Altoona pulled out a 15-12 win to take the match.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) led all players in the match with 21 points on 16 kills and five service aces, and she also added 24 digs to her productive night. Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) followed in points with 17, tallying 14 kills, two aces, and two block assists while tacking on 17 digs for a well-rounded performance. Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) finished with 10 points on nine kills and a solo block.

More to highlight was Brianna Woodring (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim), who had a match-high 27 digs while also recording four aces.

Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) led the team in assists with 24, and Marlo Mellish (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) totaled 19 assists.

St. Vincent won the first set 25-17. The Bearcats led 18-13 late in the set, then broke the game open by scoring five straight points to make it 23-13. Penn State Altoona picked up late points from Simanski and Hadley, but the home team took the first set by eight points.

The Lions bounced back with a 25-21 victory to win the next set. After starting down 11-5, Penn State Altoona scored eight straight points to jump into the lead, including a strong showing of kills by Jayden Ulmer (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport), Hadley, and Mellish. More kills from Brewer, Simanski, and Hadley helped Penn State Altoona win the set and bring the match score back to 1-1.

In the next set, the Lions fell 25-21. Penn State Altoona started off by facing a 12-4 deficit in the set, then nearly brought it back to even late in the game. The Lions got back to within 17-15, and kills by Simanski and Ulmer late in the set cut the St. Vincent lead to 23-20. But holding a 24-21 advantage, the Bearcats got the next point to win the third set by four.

During the fourth set, a strong start ultimately carried the Lions back to tie the Bearcats 2-2 in the match score. Early kills from Brewer, Kyla Campbell (Altoona, PA/Great Commission), Simanski, and Hadley helped Penn State Altoona work its way out to a 6-3 lead, and aces by Hadley and Woodring helped the Lions go up by nine, 19-10. Simanski, Hadley, and Campbell scored kills later in the set, and the Lions grabbed a 25-18 victory in the fourth.

The Lions were able to bring the win home with a 15-12 victory in the fifth set. Down 2-1, Penn State Altoona scored the next five points, including a pair of Simanski kills and one kill apiece from Hadley and Brewer. Kills from Simanski and Ulmer, along with a Woodring ace and kill, made it 12-8 later in the set. St. Vincent tied the score at 12-12 after that, but Penn State Altoona scored the next three points on a Hadley kill, Emel ace, and Bearcat attack error to take the set by three and win the match, 3-2.

Penn State Altoona will follow this match with another away meeting, going up against non-conference opponent Lycoming College next Tuesday, September 16 at 7 p.m.