The No. 2 seed Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team successfully defended its AMCC title on Sunday afternoon, when the Lions rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat No. 1 seed Alfred State College 3-2 in the Orvis Gymnasium.
The AMCC championship win for Penn State Altoona (18-11) is its fourth in program history and second in as many years. The Lions get the AMCC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament and will play a first-round match on the road this upcoming week. The NCAA's selection show is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, November 18.
Alfred State (20-7) took early control of Sunday's match, winning the first two sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-14. But Penn State Altoona pulled off the reverse sweep in the championship match, winning the next three by 25-15, 25-14, and 15-8.
The Lions were led in points by Lia Simanski, who had 15 on 13 kills, one service ace, and one solo block. Ella Hadley, Taylor Myers, and Makenna Port had 11 points each. Hadley finished with seven kills and four aces, Myers totaled five kills, three aces, and three solo blocks, and Port had eight kills, two solo blocks, and two block assists.
Julia Emel had a team-high 22 assists for the Lions, and Madelyn Rockwell contributed 12 assists while serving up four aces.
In digs, Hadley tied for the match-high with 17, while Anna Batrus had 16 digs.
In the first set, Penn State Altoona started off with a 4-3 lead, helped by two kills from Brewer and one from Simanski. Alfred State seized the momentum after that, outscoring the Lions 10-4 over the next 14 points to establish a five-point lead, 13-8. Kills by Hadley, Simanski, and Brewer helped get Penn State Altoona back to within two, 15-13, but the Pioneers countered with a 5-0 run that expanded their lead to seven, 20-13. The Lions got late points courtesy of a Rockwell ace, Port solo block, and Hadley kill to close the gap to four, 22-18, but Alfred State put the next three points on the board to win the opening set 25-18.
Alfred State scored the first two points of the second set, but Penn State Altoona was able to take a 4-3 lead, helped by a Hadley kill and Myers solo block. The Pioneers worked in front after that and expanded their lead to nine points, 20-11, later in the set. The Lions got back-to-back kills from Port before a Price kill made it 22-14, but Alfred State rattled off the next three points to take the second set by 11 points, 25-14.
A kill from Simanski and a Myers ace helped Penn State Altoona start the third set with a 3-1 lead. Alfred State scored four of the next five points to take a slim lead, before Rockwell aces on consecutive points and another Simanski kill put the Lions back on top, 7-5. Down by two shortly thereafter, Penn State Altoona got a Hadley kill and Batrus ace to knot the score at 10-10, and a Myers solo block and Brewer kill kept things tied, 12-12. The Lions stepped back into the lead after that, as a kill from Simanski and an Alfred State setting error made it 14-12. Penn State Altoona rode its momentum over the rest of the set, outscoring the Pioneers 11-3, including getting three Simanski kills and a late ace by Rockwell. The 25-15 victory in the third put Penn State Altoona on the board, down 2-1 in the match.
The Lions stayed in their rhythm to begin the fourth set, working their way out to a 12-4 lead that was helped by four Hadley service aces and two Brewer kills. Alfred State got back to within five points, 13-8, but Penn State Altoona scored four in a row after that, thanks to a Pioneer service error, kills from Hadley and Port, and a Simanski ace. Kills from Port and Simanski put the Lions' lead at 10 points, 20-10, and a Myers ace made it an 11-point difference, 24-13, later. An Alfred State service error provided the 25th point of the set for Penn State Altoona, who won it 25-14 to force a deciding fifth set.
Penn State Altoona started the fifth set with kills from Brewer and Myers, and another Myers kill made it 3-2. A duo block by Brewer and Port, and a solo block from Simanski, got it to 5-2, before a Myers ace, Simanski kill, and two Port kills increased the Lions' advantage to 9-2. Up 12-4, kills from Price and Hadley got Penn State Altoona to set point, 14-5, and an Alfred State service error ended the set at 15-8, clinching the Lions their second consecutive AMCC championship win.
The Lions will learn who, where, and when they will play in this week's Division III Tournament when the NCAA holds its selection show tomorrow.
All Tournament Team
Penn State Altoona: Lia Simanski, Taylor Myers
Alfred State: Racquel Gerstenberger, Nayomie Ferrer
Penn State Behrend: Cadence Jones
Mount Aloysius: Molly Richards
Hilbert: Natalie Ruhlmann
La Roche: Kylie Fehlman