Women’s Volleyball Sweeps Behrend
by Casey Burinskas
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team returned home Saturday to host Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference foe Penn State Behrend, and the Lions pulled out 3-0 win over the visitors in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (13-11, 5-2 AMCC) handled Behrend (18-7, 5-2 AMCC) in three sets by scores of 25-21, 25-19, and 25-22.
Lia Simanski (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) finished with a team-high 12.5 points for the Lions, scoring 10 kills and two service aces. Maggie Brewer (NuMine, PA/West Shamokin) and Hannah Swank (Boswell, PA/Conemaugh Township) had 8.5 points apiece, with each player recording eight kills and a block assist.
Kyla Campbell (Altoona, PA/Great Commission) added seven points on seven kills, Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) contributed 6.5 points on four kills, three block assists, and a solo block, and Jayden Ulmer (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) chipped in five points thanks to six block assists and two solo blocks.
Julia Emel (Woodward, PA/Penns Valley) tallied a team-high 14 assists, and Marlo Mellish (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) notched 11 assists to go along with 11 digs.
Ella Hadley (Spring Mills, PA/Penns Valley) led the Lions in digs with 18.
The Lions started strong in the first set with early kills from Brewer and Simanski, keeping pace with Behrend's offense. Both teams traded points through the early stages, with Swank and Campbell finding success at the net to push Altoona ahead. Altoona chipped away at a four-point deficit midway through, after a Behrend service error and two kills from Swank that made it 15-14. The Lions continued to flip the momentum, as a block from Swank and Ulmer tied the set at 15-all and an ace from Simanski gave Altoona a 16-15 lead. The Lions continued to battle, with Campbell putting down two key kills late to put Altoona up by two, 20-18. Late kills from Brewer, along with a block from Ulmer, preceded a Behrend attack error that pushed Altoona to a 25-21 win in the first set.
Altoona quickly found its rhythm on offense in the second set with early kills from Campbell and Brewer. Behrend was able to build small leads of 11-9 and 13-12, before the Lions' front line began to spark a momentum swing in favor of Altoona. Ulmer, Simanski, and Fussell combined on two blocks, while Simanski delivered swings from the outside and Swank added a kill to push the Lions ahead 19-18. Behrend struggled to keep up with Altoona's aggressive serving, as Simanski dropped an ace to make it 20-18. Down the line, Altoona closed with kills from Fussell, Campbell, and Swank to seal a 25-19 win, with the Lions' strong ending pushing the match lead to 2-0.
The start of the third set was evenly matched, with Campbell and Brewer each putting away early kills as the score was tied 3-3. Ulmer and Brewer combined for a big block soon after to give the Lions a lead, but Behrend responded quickly with a run to go up 7-5. Fussell stopped the surge with a kill assisted by Simanski, keeping Altoona within striking distance. After falling behind 9-6, Altoona regrouped as Brewer struck again off a set from Emel, followed by a strong defensive run that tied the score at 13-13. Simanski delivered offensively, putting up several kills that pushed the score to 16-16. The teams traded points deep into the set, with Swank and Fussell providing timely kills to keep the momentum alive. Down the stretch, Simanski tallied two more kills late in the set, and Ulmer teamed up with Fussell for a huge block that sealed the 25-22 victory.
The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team will be back at home against another AMCC opponent on Tuesday, November 4, hosting Pitt-Greensburg for the Lions' last home match of the regular season. Start time is set for 7 p.m.
