Women's Volleyball 10/2/2011 1:30:00 PM

Lions sweep on second day of NEAC play

GALLAUDET BOXSCORE | PENN STATE ABINGTON BOXSCORE

READING, PA (October 2, 2011) – The Penn State Berks women's volleyball team finished off a perfect 4-0 weekend in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) South Division play with wins over Gallaudet and Penn State Abington on Sunday afternoon at Beaver Community Center.

Berks picked up a critical 3-1 win over Gallaudet in the opener and then finished off Penn State Abington in straight sets to improve to 14-2 overall and 8-0 in the conference.

The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 2-0 lead with wins of 25-19 and 25-16 against Gallaudet. The Bison (12-6, 4-1 NEAC) took the third game 25-10 before Berks used an impressive 27-25 come-from-behind win to take the clincher. The win over second place Gallaudet gave Berks some breathing room at the top of the NEAC standings.

If the Nittany Lions take care of business in the final NEAC crossover play two weeks from now, they will earn the No. 1 seed and host the conference tournament on November 5 and 6.

In the first game, Maria Pavone recorded a solo block to put the Nittany Lions at game point. The freshman then slammed a kill to the floor to give Berks the first game.

Amy Shelton, the reigning NEAC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week, finished with a match-high 16 kills, followed by Kayla Mosser with 11. Shelton, who was the centerpiece to the 2010 Nittany Lions that lost to Gallaudet in the NEAC Championship, also recorded three solo blocks.

The Bison (13-6, 5-1 NEAC) were on the verge of evening the series at two-all in the fourth game. But the resilient Nittany Lions battled back from a 24-21 deficit. Mosser capped off the comeback with solo block to seal the victory.

The defensive unit again kept the ball alive and made timely plays when Berks needed it most. The Nittany Lions had 65 digs, with Victoria Young notching a contest-high 17 and Courtney Lucarelli chipping in 12.

The blue-and-white carried that momentum over into their match with Penn State Abington, winning by scores of 25-11, 25-18 and 25-3. Shelton collected nine kills and Pavone added five. Kaitlyn Schmeck had eight of the Nittany Lions 22 service aces. Robyn Fiore tallied six aces and Young had four.

The Nittany Lions will play their final regular-season home match against DeSales University on Wednesday, October 5 at 7 p.m. in Beaver Community Center. The contest will also be the Nittany Lions Dig Pink match.

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Players Mentioned

#20 Amy Shelton: MB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#10 Courtney Lucarelli: OH; 5' 5"; Freshman

#12 Kayla Mosser: MB/RS; 5' 10"; Freshman

#1 Maria Pavone: OH; 5' 7"; Freshman

#2 Kaitlyn Schmeck: S; 5' 4"; Freshman

#15 Victoria Young: L; 5' 1"; Freshman

#4 Robyn Fiore: DS; 5' 4"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#20 Amy Shelton
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: MB

#10 Courtney Lucarelli
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: OH

#12 Kayla Mosser
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: MB/RS

#1 Maria Pavone
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: OH

#2 Kaitlyn Schmeck
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: S

#15 Victoria Young
: 5' 1"; Freshman
: L

#4 Robyn Fiore
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: DS