CRESSON, Pa. - The Mount Aloysius women's volleyball team fell to Penn State Behrend, 3-0, on Wednesday evening at the Athletic Convocation and Wellness Center. The Mounties battled the second place Lions throughout the opening set before dropping a 29-27 decision, then fell 25-18 and 25-19 in the final two sets.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle between the two AMCC opponents, with neither team able to pull away. Mount Aloysius appeared to have secured the extended set, but a controversial call allowed the Lions to even the score. Behrend capitalized on the opportunity to close out the set, 29-27, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Lions carried that momentum into the second set, earning a 25-18 victory to move within one set of the match. Mount Aloysius continued to compete in the third, but Behrend ultimately secured the sweep with a 25-19 win.
Mackenzie Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler) led the Mounties offensively with eight kills, while Loren Stipanovich (Cresson, Pa, Penn Cambria) added seven. Kyler Freeman (Lucinda, Pa., North Clarion) contributed five kills, and Ava Patton (Bellwood, Pa, Bellwood-Antis) finished with four. Kiersten Cummings (Las Vegas, Nev, Nevada State) paced the Mounties with 10 assists, while Reghyn Wilson (Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop McDevitt) added six assists.
Defensively, Madison Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler) led all Mount Aloysius players with 15 digs. Maya McIlwain (Rural Valley, Pa, West Shamokin) recorded 13 digs, while Patton added six. Wilson also contributed two service aces, matching McIlwain for the team lead.
Penn State Behrend was led by Cadence Jones, who recorded 12 kills, while Olivia Swinarski added 10. Brynne Smith dished out 28 assists, and Aubrey Sammons led the Lions with 13 digs. Behrend finished with a .230 hitting percentage compared to .112 for the Mounties.
With the loss, Mount Aloysius moves to 12-9 overall and 5-6 in AMCC play, while Penn State Behrend improves to 18-7 overall and 9-2 in conference action.
The Mounties will look to bounce back as they continue their push toward the end of the regular season as they'll travel to Hilbert on Halloween. First serve will be at 12 PM at the Hafner Recreation Center in Hamburg, NY.
