Reading, Pa.- The Penn St. Berks Women's Volleyball Team dropped a hard-fought five-set match with Penn St. Harrisburg on Saturday, Oct 19. The Lions fell by set scores of 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 5-15.

Before the match, Penn St. Berks took a few moments to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness as part of their Dig Pink match. The team took donations to benefit the Breast Cancer Support Service of Berks County.

Berks (5-12 Overall, 1-4 UEC) got off to a strong start in the opening set, taking an 8-6 lead off a service ace by Jordan Thompson. Harrisburg (14-6 Overall, 5-1 UEC) fought back, rallying to take an 18-13 lead. The Blue & White began to cut into the deficit sparked by a block from Makenzie Shoop and Madelyn Caris. Service aces from Diana Stoltzfus and Libby Swoyer helped the Lions tie the set at 21. Berks continued their momentum, winning four of the last five points to win the set 25-23.

Harrisburg responded, winning the second and third sets to pull ahead in the match. Berks needed to recapture the momentum in fourth set, getting off to a strong start. Thompson, Stoltzfus and Caris recorded early kills to give Berks a 5-2 advantage. The Lions remained in control, holding a 14-9 lead after another kill by Stoltzfus. Harrisburg battled back, leveling the set at 14. Berks halted the run, rattling off a 7-1 run to surge back in front by a score of 21-15. The Blue & White secured the set victory with a block by Katelyn Williams and Thompson, sending the match to a decisive fifth set. Harrisburg raced out to a 9-2 lead in the fifth set and Berks could not answer back, falling 15-5.

Williams led the Lions offensive attack, finishing the match with 12 kills and 21 digs. Shoop also recorded a double-double, finishing the match with 11 kills and 14 digs. Tarynn Coldren posted 20 assists and Libby Swoyer added 15 assists to go along with four service aces.

WHO'S NEXT
It's a short turnaround for the Lions as they will hit the road to face Rosemont College on Monday, Oct. 21. The match is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM.

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