WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team returned to the road to compete in a tri-match hosted by Wilkes University on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions faced the hosts along with Bard College.

Penn State Altoona (6-8) came away with a pair of 3-0 wins, sweeping Wilkes and Bard to notch its fifth and sixth victories of the season.

Match One: Penn State Altoona 3, Wilkes 0

Penn State Altoona took care of Wilkes (9-6) in straight sets to start the day, winning by scores of 25-13, 25-21, and 25-22.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) scored a match-best 17 points for the Lions on 15 kills and a pair of service aces, and she also totaled 14 digs. Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) had nine points on eight kills and an ace to go along with 10 digs.

Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) recorded 8.5 points on eight kills and a block assist, and Johanna Heckman (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) added 6.5 points on six kills and a block assist.

Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) and Marlo Mellish (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) split the setting duties, with Emel posting a match-high 19 assists and Mellish recording 14 assists.

Brianna Woodring (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) led all players in the match with 22 digs.

Kills by Simanski, Hadley, and Makiya Mack (Philipsburg, PA/West Branch), along with a combo block from Brewer and Mack, helped Penn State Altoona work its way out to a 6-1 advantage in the first set. Later, a 5-0 Lions run that included a pair of Woodring service aces helped the Lions increase their lead to nine points, 15-6. Brewer's kill later in the set kept the difference at nine, 20-11, and Penn State Altoona picked up four straight points on kills by Simanski and Jayden Ulmer (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport), a Simanski ace, and an attack error by the Colonels to get to set point, 24-12. One point later, Ulmer's solo block ended the set at 25-13 in favor of Penn State Altoona.

The Lions scored the first three points of the second set on a Wilkes attack error, a Hadley ace, and a Simanski kill. The Colonels came back to tie the score at 4-4, but the Lions rattled off an 8-2 run to go ahead 12-6, getting kills from Simanski, Ulmer, and Hadley along the way. Wilkes was able to close the gap to one, 15-14, but Penn State Altoona held its lead throughout the rest of the set. Late kills by Simanski, Ulmer, and Mack got it to set point, 24-21, and a Wilkes attack error provided the winning point, giving the Lions a 25-21 victory in the second set and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Back-to-back Brewer kills opened the third set, but the home team charged back to grab a 5-3 lead. Penn State Altoona jumped back in front, 10-7, but the Colonels fought back again to secure a three-point advantage, 14-11. Wilkes expanded its lead over the next several plays, going up by as many as six points, 21-15. But a 6-0 Penn State Altoona run erased the Lions' deficit, as kills from Brewer and Heckman, a Kyla Campbell (Altoona, PA/Great Commission) solo block, a Mellish ace, and two Wilkes errors brought the score even at 21-21. The Colonels scored the next point to reclaim the lead, but the Lions finished the set by scoring four in a row. Simanski and Heckman kills put Penn State Altoona back into the lead, before Campbell and Heckman teamed up on a block to make it 24-22. A Wilkes setting error clinched the set at 25-22 for Penn State Altoona, sealing a 3-0 sweep by the Lions.

Match Two: Penn State Altoona 3, Bard 0

The Lions completed the tri-match with another 3-0 victory, defeating Bard (3-10) by scores of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-18.

Simanski led all players in the match with 16 kills, and Hannah Swank (Boswell, PA/Conemaugh Township) recorded 8.5 points on seven kills, a service ace, and a block assist while also totaling a match-high 12 digs.

Emel ended with 16 assists, and Mellish tallied eight assists.

The first set was tightly contested, with Penn State Altoona pulling away enough in the middle stages to win it. With the score tied 8-8, three Bard errors and two kills from Mack put the Lions up 13-10. Later, two Swank kills and a Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona) solo block helped make it 23-17. Leading 23-20, kills from Simanski and Ulmer finished the set at 25-20 for Penn State Altoona.

The second set was close early, until a big push by Penn State Altoona gave the Lions a sizeable lead. Up 5-4, Penn State Altoona used a 7-0 run to make it 12-4, getting kills from Campbell, Swank, and Simanski along the way. Bard errors contributed to the Lions being able to maintain a comfortable lead, and the Lions held a 20-12 advantage late in the set. Kills from Simanski and Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) got the Lions up 23-13, and Campbell and Price teamed up on a block to make it 24-13. A Bard attack error represented the set-winning point for Penn State Altoona, which took a 2-0 lead in the match after a 25-14 set victory.

The third set followed a similar script to the second. With the score tied 8-8 early, the Lions went on a 4-0 run that included two Simanski kills, a Swank kill, and an Ulmer solo stuff to make it 12-8. Later, another 4-0 Penn State Altoona run increased the visitors' advantage to 20-13, as a Bard service error, Price kill, Nicole Pierce (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) ace, and Swank kill expanded the Lions' lead to seven points. Emma Ray (Ruckersville, VA/William Monroe) made a solo block to get the score to set point, 24-18, and Simanski's kill put the finishing touches on another sweep, ending the set at 25-18 and icing a 3-0 victory in the match for the Lions.

Next up, Penn State Altoona women's volleyball will head to Reading, Pa. on Tuesday, September 30 to battle non-conference opponent Penn State Berks at 7 p.m.