PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's volleyball trailed non-conference opponent Chatham University 2-0 in Wednesday night's match at the Athletic & Fitness Center, but the Lions roared back to win 3-2.

Chatham (3-2) appeared to be in control of the match, following 25-20 and 26-24 wins in the first two sets of the night. But Penn State Altoona (3-1) stayed alive with a 25-20 victory in the third, evened the set score with a 25-19 win in the fourth, then took the match with a 15-7 triumph in the fifth.

The result marks Penn State Altoona's second victory in as many nights, and it is the team's third win in a row.

Lacee Barnhart (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) led all players in the game with 17.0 points and 15 kills to go along with 12 digs and one solo block. Lydia Mock (Alum Bank, PA/Chestnut Ridge) contributed 14.0 points on 12 kills and two service aces, and she also accumulated 19 digs.

Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) totaled eight kills on a team-high .500 attack percentage while also notching one solo block, and Grace Shelley (York, PA/York Catholic) finished with six kills.

Kayla Moran (Boalsburg, PA/State College) tallied 37 assists while also recording 13 digs, five kills, and a match-high four service aces.

Erin Lutz (State College, PA/State College) led all players in the match with 23 digs while chipping in eight assists. Makenna Bauer (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) added seven digs, and Karlie Feathers (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) had five digs.

In the first set, Penn State Altoona worked its way out to a 6-3 lead, but Chatham used a 12-4 run to stake out a 15-10 advantage midway through the set. Mock's kill and Barnhart's ace helped the Lions make it a one-point score, 16-15, but the Cougars outscored Penn State Altoona 9-5 the rest of the way to earn the early lead in the match.

Chatham came from behind to win the second set, overcoming an early deficit and then fighting past Penn State Altoona again late. The Lions built a 16-9 lead, but an 8-0 run by the Cougars erased the Penn State Altoona advantage and put the home team up by one. Trailing 20-19 later, the Lions used two Chatham attack errors, a Mock ace, and a Barnhart kill to jump ahead 23-20. Three points later, Shelley's kill put Penn State Altoona at set point, 24-22. But Chatham surged ahead once again, using four straight kills to win the set and grab a 2-0 lead in the match.

Penn State Altoona showed no signs of quit, however, coming out strong in the third set by establishing a 7-0 lead that included points from two Moran aces, a kill and a block by Barnhart, and a kill from Mock. Chatham fought back to tie the score 14-14, but two Barnhart kills and a Mock ace put the Lions back on top for good in the set. Ahead 23-20 later, Penn State Altoona got the final two points of the set on a Cannistraci kill and a Chatham error to narrow the home team's lead to 2-1.

The Lions kept their momentum rolling into the fourth set, getting out to sizeable leads of 10-4, 15-7, and 20-9. Chatham made a late push, going on a 9-2 run to whittle Penn State Altoona's lead down to 22-18, but three Cougar errors over the final four points helped the Lions close out the set and tie the match 2-2.

In the fifth set, Penn State Altoona and Chatham found themselves knotted at 4-4 in the early going. But kills from Barnhart and Mock, along with a Bauer ace, gave the Lions a 7-4 advantage and forced a Chatham timeout. Penn State Altoona scored four of the next six points, getting kills from Barnhart and Shelley and two Chatham attack errors to grow its lead to 11-6. After another timeout by the home team, the Lions scored four of the final five points, using a Chatham service error, kills from Mock and Barnhart, and a Moran ace to clinch the comeback win.

Penn State Altoona women's volleyball returns to action this Saturday, September 18, traveling to Bridgewater College to compete in a tri-match. The Lions will face Hollins University to start the day at 1:00 p.m., then take on host Bridgewater at 3:00 p.m.