Lady Lions Split the Day 1-1

By: Matylda Zamudio

Monaca, Pa.-- Penn State Beaver split the day 1-1 during the USCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament on Saturday against Alleghany and Fayette.

Following last night's losses against Christendom and Johnson and Wales during the second day of the tournament, the Lady Lions were determined to show their resilience, and win against Penn State Greater Alleghany and Penn State Fayette this morning.

As their first match against Alleghany began, the teams went back and forth on scoring during the first few minutes, but Beaver's offensive had the edge. Beaver prevailed at the end of the first set, winning 25-19.

During the first few minutes of the second set, the game remained close, but freshman Maria Slater made a key block, putting Beaver up 15-13 towards the middle of the set. Beaver's vigorous offense earned them the set-win, 25-22.

The Lady Lions kept their hot-streaking going during the third set, as they went up 18-9 half-way through the set. Beaver's defense kept Alleghany at bay by not allowing them to score again and dominating the final set on scoring. They won the set 25-9.

Junior Alexis Albrecht played a major role on defense, ending game one with 13 digs. The offense leaders included Senior Brooke Tomasko with 7 kills and Freshman Ramiya White with 6 kills. The final score of game one was 3-0.

Rejuvenated by the win against Alleghany, the Lady Lions were hungry and aimed to their repeat performance against Fayette.

During the first minutes of the game, the Lady Lions came out strong offensively, scoring back-to-back points. As the match continued, Beaver's defense began feeling the pressure from Fayette's hitters and fell behind 14-21. Beaver fought back but couldn't grab the lead, losing the set 18-25. While Beaver battled back and forth with Fayette during the second set, it weathered a similar result as the previous set, and the team just barely lost this close-set, 25-27.

The rigorous battle of the previous set left Beaver less energized to which Fayette took full advantage of. Beaver was outscored by Fayette, 25 to 17, handing Beaver a 3-0 loss in their second match of the day.

This weekend loss leaves Beaver's overall record 1-3. The Lady Lions will face their next opponent, Community College of Beaver County, at home next Saturday at 11 a.m.