by Christina Roukas

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team won its first match of the season against non-conference opponent Penn College on Friday evening at the Bardo Gymnasium, as the Lions swept the Wildcats 3-0.

Penn State Altoona (1-5) handled Penn College (1-3) in three sets, taking the match by scores of 25-17, 25-15, and 27-25.

Kayla Moran (Boalsburg, PA/State College) started the first set with an ace to put the Lions on the board, and she dumped the ball on the Wildcat side to give Penn State Altoona a 4-3 lead. The Wildcats came back to tie the set 6-6, but Lydia Mock (Alum Bank, PA/Chestnut Ridge) broke the tie by giving the Lions the next point on a kill. Erin Lutz (State College, PA/State College) scored back-to-back aces to help Penn State Altoona to a 12-8 advantage. The Lions continued playing a strong first set, as Lacee Barnhart (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) scored a kill to make it 13-9. Another kill by Morgan Fussell (Blairsville, GA/Union County) increased the lead to 14-11, and Mock's hit through the block upped the advantage to 21-15. The Lions won the first set 25-17.

Penn State Altoona kept up the momentum in the second set by jumping out to a 4-1 lead. A tip from Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) put the Lions up by two, 6-4, and Allie Godwin (Pittsburgh, PA/West Allegheny) scored an ace to make it 9-6. Karlie Feathers' (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) hit for a kill put her team up 12-7, followed by a tip from Taylor Kilmer (Julian, PA/Bald Eagle) that gave Penn State Altoona a six-point advantage. The Lions swept through the second set, holding a nine-point lead against the Wildcats, 20-11. Makenna Port (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) scored a kill later to make it 23-15, and the Lions went on to win the set by ten points, 25-15.

The third set was more competitive, with Penn College leading by as many as seven points before Penn State Altoona battled back late. With the Wildcats up 25-24 late, the Lions surged ahead to win 27-25 on two kills from Barnhart and a solo block by Port.

Barnhart finished with a match-high 13 points for Penn State Altoona on 11 kills, a pair of block assists, and a service ace while also leading the Lions in digs with 13. Mock had 12.5 points on 11 kills, a block assist, and an ace, and she accumulated 11 digs.

Feathers had five kills and a block assist, and Kilmer notched four kills and a block assist. Port led the Lions in blocks with two block assists and one solo block, and she also scored a pair of kills.

Moran put up a match-leading 32 assists and five service aces to go along with four kills and six digs.

Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) posted 11 digs, and Lutz had six digs and two aces.

Penn State Altoona women's volleyball's next match is next Thursday, September 15, when the Lions will travel to play non-conference opponent Wilkes University at 7:00 p.m.