READING — The Penn State Berks women's volleyball team (12-12, 5-4) hosted their final home regular season match as they competed against Penn College of Technology (0-26, 0-9 United East) on Wednesday, October 28 in United East conference action. Berks was able to keep their momentum going from the past weekend as the Nittany Lions swept the Wildcats 3-0 on the night. The win clinched Berks a spot in the United East Championship tournament. Berks recorded nine service aces, surpassing its season average of 6.09.
Berks created separation in the first set with an 8-0 run from 16-12 to 24-12, as
Ella Griffiths served the full stretch and delivered three aces while
Delaney Gote and
Dani Tribbett added kills. Earlier, after the Wildcats moved ahead 2-1, the Nittany Lions answered with five of the next six points behind a Gote-Tribbett block, a
Madelyn Caris kill, a Griffiths ace and a Tribbett kill to take a 6-3 lead. Penn College cut into the margin at several points, but Berks responded with kills from Caris, Tribbett,
Shea Leber and
Emily Snader before its late service run. After the Wildcats scored twice from 24-12, a service error closed the set and the Nittany Lions took the set 25-14.
The Nittany Lions took control of the second set immediately, scoring the first four points on
Libby Swoyer serves with kills from Gote and Leber plus two Wildcats miscues. After Penn College got on the board, Leber added another kill and then served two aces around a Caris kill as Berks moved ahead 8-1. The Nittany Lions kept producing points from several spots, including a Gote-Tribbett block, additional kills from Gote and Tribbett, and a
Tori Schaeffer kill set by
Julia Zaprazny.
Marissa Bailey then served four straight points from 17-9 to 21-9, a stretch that included a Snader block, back-to-back Bailey aces and a Wildcats setting error, before Berks finished off a 25-16 set win.
Berks finished the third set with a 25-15 win, getting the final point on a Bailey kill from
Karlie Kerschner after the Wildcats had trimmed the score to 24-15. Earlier, after Penn College scored first, the Nittany Lions answered with kills by Snader and Gote to move in front 2-1, then built the margin to 6-3 with Tribbett recording two kills in the opening stretch. Berks created separation from 6-4 to 10-4, a four-point stretch that included a Wildcats service error, an attack error, and kills by Leber and
Gwen Tew. Bailey added a service ace as the Nittany Lions pushed ahead 12-5, and later kills from Leber, Snader, Schaeffer and Bailey helped keep the Wildcats from cutting the gap below seven the rest of the set.
Tribbett led Berks with nine kills while hitting .571 and adding two block assists. Swoyer finished with 22 assists and five digs. Griffiths recorded four service aces and 11 digs. Leber added six kills, two aces and five digs.
WHO'S NEXT
Up next, Berks will now be on the road for its final two regular season contests. The first road match is a quick turnaround as they compete on Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m. when the Nittany Lions travel to Lancaster, Pa., to face Lancaster Bible College in non-conference action.
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