ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's volleyball was on the road for another Saturday afternoon tri-match, as the Lions faced off against Penn State Hazleton and Elizabethtown College at Elizabethtown's Thompson Gymnasium.

Penn State Altoona (8-9) swept Penn State Hazleton 3-0 to start the day, before the Lions suffered a 3-0 loss to host Elizabethtown.

Match One: Penn State Altoona 3, Penn State Hazleton 0

The Lions began Saturday's tri-match by going up against USCAA opponent Penn State Hazleton (2-5), and Penn State Altoona earned a sweep by scores of 25-22, 25-19, and 25-19.

Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) had a match-high eight points on eight kills, and she also finished with nine digs. Hannah Swank (Boswell, PA/Conemaugh Township) scored seven points on six kills and a service ace. Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) and Jayden Ulmer (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) had six points apiece, with Hadley contributing three service aces, two kills, and two block assists and Ulmer totaling four block assists, three kills, and a solo block.

Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) led the Lions in assists with 16, and Marlo Mellish (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) chipped in nine assists while also serving up three aces.

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

Penn State Altoona pulled out a three-point win in a tightly contested opening set. With the score tied 4-4, the Lions got four straight points to go ahead, getting a block from Johanna Heckman (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) and Ulmer and a service ace by Mellish along the way. Later, a pair of Simanski killed helped Penn State Altoona to six-point leads, 15-9 and 16-10, but Hazleton fought back with an 9-2 run to grab a 19-18 advantage. After that, the Lions got back into the lead with a Hazleton attack error and a Heckman kill. Makiya Mack (Philipsburg, PA/West Branch) and Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) added kills, and Hadley's ace got it to set point, 24-21. One point later, a Mack solo block ended the set at 25-22 in favor of the Lions.

Penn State Altoona pulled away midway through the second set to win it by six points. With Hazleton leading 8-7, the Lions used an 8-1 run to jump in front 15-9, helped by five Hazleton attack errors. Shortly thereafter, back-to-back kills from Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) and Mack preceded a Swank ace that made it 18-10. Penn State Altoona maintained a solid lead into the latter stages of the set, and kills from Jadeyn Price (Altoona, PA/Altoona) and Kyla Campbell (Altoona, PA/Great Commission got the score to set point, 24-16. A Hazleton service error accounted for the final point, and Penn State Altoona clinched a 25-19 victory in the second set.

The Lions had to come from behind to win the third set, as Penn State Altoona trailed by as many as five points to Hazleton. Down 18-15, the Lions awoke for a 7-0 run that included kills from Swank and Ulmer, as well as a block from Hadley and Ulmer. Price's kill and a Hazleton attack error made it 24-19, and Nicole Pierce (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) served up an ace to wrap up a 25-19 comeback win in the third set, giving Penn State Altoona a sweep over Hazleton.

Match Two: Elizabethtown 3, Penn State Altoona 0

Penn State Altoona came out on the losing end of a three-set match to Elizabethtown (12-5), as the Blue Jays prevailed by scores of 25-18, 27-25, and 25-23.

Simanski put up a team-high 11 points on 11 kills while adding 14 digs, and Hadley had 10.5 points on eight kills, two aces, and a block assist while also recording 10 digs. Brewer finished with nine points on eight kills and a pair of block assists.

Emel put up 17 assists, and Mellish was close behind with 16 assists.

Woodring tied for the match lead in digs with 20.

Elizabethtown opened the first set by seizing a 6-1 lead, but Penn State Altoona battled back to even the score at 10-10, helped along the way by kills from Simanski, Ulmer, and Hadley. The Blue Jays did not relinquish their lead, however, expanding it to as many as six points, 24-18. The home team got the set-clinching point on the next play, and Penn State Altoona found itself in a 1-0 hole in the match.

Elizabethtown grinded out a close win in the second set to deal the Lions a 2-0 deficit. The Blue Jays led 16-13 midway through, before Penn State Altoona surged back to tie the score and eventually take a 20-18 advantage. Elizabethtown knotted the score at 21-21, and the teams traded points over the next several plays. Brewer's kill gave the Lions a 23-22 lead, and an attack error by the Blue Jays on the next point got Penn State Altoona to set point, 24-22. But Elizabethtown stayed alive, recording the next three points to go up 25-24. An Elizabethtown attack error evened the score again, 25-25, but a pair of kills by the Blue Jays gave the home team a 27-25 win.

Down by four points early in the third set, Penn State Altoona was able to leap ahead, taking a 16-15 lead after a Swank kill. The score remained tight late into the set, with the lead exchanging hands several times. After late kills from Simanski and Brewer, the Lions found themselves tied 22-22 with the Blue Jays. But Elizabethtown scored two points after that to get to set point, 24-22. A kill by Swank kept Penn State Altoona alive temporarily, but the Blue Jays got a kill on the next point to finish the set a 25-23.

Next, the Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team will open its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schedule on Tuesday, October 7, when the Lions will make the short drive to Cresson, Pa. to play league rival Mount Aloysius College. Start time for the match is set for 7 p.m. in the ACW Center.