WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Penn State Berks women's volleyball team (9-12, 4-4) continued their road stretch as they faced off against Gallaudet University (14-9, 5-2) in United East action. The Nittany Lions dropped their conference match to the Bison in three sets.
The Nittany Lions started the first set with
Libby Swoyer serving and moved ahead 2-0 on consecutive Bison setting errors, but the Bison worked back to tie the set at 4-4 and later moved in front. The Nittany Lions responded after falling behind 9-5, getting a kill from
Madelyn Caris and a block by
Tori Schaeffer and
Gwen Tew to cut the deficit to 9-7. The Bison answered with the next four points, and Berks later added a Tew kill, a
Shea Leber kill, a
Delaney Gote kill and a
Mackenzie Davis service ace while trying to stay within range. After the Bison pushed the margin to 24-13, the Blue & White put together three straight points, including a Caris service ace, before the Bison closed the set 25-16.
Berks' biggest push came late in the second set, when it answered a 19-14 deficit with four straight points, including consecutive Swoyer service aces, to get within 19-18. Earlier, the Nittany Lions opened the set on a Leber kill from Swoyer and stayed close with kills from Caris, Gote and Tew, plus a block by Tew and
Dani Tribbett. The Bison created separation at 16-11, but Berks responded with kills from Caris and Leber before Swoyer's serving run brought the set back within one.
Emily Snader later put down a kill from Swoyer to make it 20-19, but the Bison scored the next four points and finished the set 25-20. During the second set, the first service ace by Swoyer pushed her over 100 in her career. She now ranks 10th on the program's all-time list with 101 service aces and counting.
The Blue & White stayed even early in the third set, getting two kills from Snader off Swoyer assists before
Delaney Gote's kill gave the visitors a 4-3 lead. After Leber answered with a kill from Schaeffer to tie the set at 7-7, the Bison won the next seven points to move in front 14-7. Berks broke that stretch on a service error and later added Gote kills at 10-19 and 11-20, while Tribbett and Tew combined on a block to make it 13-22. The Bison scored the final three points from there and took the set 25-13.
Gote led Berks with six kills and six points.
Ella Griffiths collected a team-high 14 digs. Swoyer finished with a team-high nine assists and added two service aces. Caris posted 12 digs, three kills and two service aces. Caris has recorded at least two service aces in two consecutive matches.
WHO'S NEXT
Up next, the Nittany Lions host Albright College on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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