ERIE, Pa. – The third-seeded Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team had its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament run come to an end on Saturday, when the Lions suffered a 3-0 loss to second seed Alfred State College in the tournament's semifinal round at Penn State Behrend's Junker Center.

Alfred State (18-2) opened the match with a 25-20 victory in the first set, then fended off Penn State Altoona (16-5) with a 27-25 win in the second set. The Pioneers clinched the match win with a 25-19 triumph in the third set.

Penn State Altoona's loss halts the team's recent eight-match win streak, and it eliminates the Lions from the AMCC Tournament. The team will now hope for a berth into the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship Tournament. The field for that tournament will be announced this upcoming week following the NCAA Tournament selection.

Lydia Mock (Alum Bank, PA/Chestnut Ridge) totaled a match-high 14.0 points on 12 kills and two service aces, and she also added 10 digs and chipped in a pair of assists. Makenna Bauer (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) had 11.0 points on 10 kills and an ace to go along with 11 digs.

Taylor Myers (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) recorded six kills and Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) finished with two kills.

Kayla Moran (Boalsburg, PA/State College) tallied 23 assists while also contributing two aces, eight digs, and one kill.

Erin Lutz (State College, PA/State College) led all players in the match with 26 digs while also recording two aces and two assists. Anna Batrus (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had five digs and two aces.

Penn State Altoona struggled to get its offense going in the first set, tallying just seven kills and swinging at a .025 clip as a team. After Alfred State worked its way out to an 8-4 lead, Penn State Altoona scored four of the next five points, capped by a Lutz ace, to narrow its deficit to 9-8. But the Pioneers went on a modest 7-3 run to widen their lead to five, 16-11. Alfred State went on to lead by as many as seven points in the set, dealing an early blow to the Lions.

The Lions' attack came alive in the second set, when the team produced 13 kills and battled neck-and-neck with Alfred State. Mock produced a team-high six kills during the set, with Bauer and Myers adding three apiece. Service aces by Moran on consecutive points helped Penn State Altoona to an early 12-10 lead, but Alfred State turned the tables by going on a 7-1 run to leap in front, 17-13. The Lions responded by scoring the next five consecutive points, including three kills in a row from Bauer, to get back in front, 18-17. But the Pioneers answered again by reeling off the next four points, working their way back into the lead, 21-18. Later, Penn State Altoona had Alfred State at set point, 24-22, following a Mock ace, but the Pioneers scored two points to tie the score 24-24. After the teams traded points to make it 25-25, Alfred State got back-to-back kills to close out the set in their favor.

Alfred State ended the match with a six-point win in the third set, during which the Pioneers produced a match-high 16 kills. Penn State Altoona built an early lead, however, going up 10-8 following an Alfred State service error, Lutz ace, and Bauer kill. Kills from Myers and Bauer, as well as a Pioneer attack error, increased Penn State Altoona's advantage to 13-9, but Alfred State reeled off a 6-0 run to grab a 15-13 lead. Another Bauer kill and an Alfred State error evened the score 15-15, but the Pioneers scored five of the next six points to go up 20-16. Alfred State maintained its lead the rest of the way, winning the set and sealing a trip to the AMCC championship match tomorrow afternoon.