LA PLUME, PA — The Penn State Berks women's volleyball team (6-7) headed up to La Plume, Pa. as the Nittany Lions took on host institute Keystone College (3-13) and SUNY Politechnic Institue (1-13). The Blue & White went five sets with Giants in match one, winning 3-2, while Berks earned a sweep over the Wildcats in the second match.
In match one, The Nittany Lions controlled the first set from the opening serve, winning seven of the first eight rallies to move ahead 7-1 behind kills by Libby Swoyer and Delaney Gote, a Gote kill from Dani Tribbett and an Ella Griffiths service ace. After Keystone cut the margin to 7-3, Berks answered with a Gote kill from Swoyer and later added kills by Emily Snader to keep the set in hand. Swoyer assisted a Gote kill that made it 16-8, and Tribbett followed soon after with a kill before Griffiths added another ace for an 18-9 advantage. The Blue & White finished the set by scoring the final four points, with Madelyn Caris adding a kill and an ace before Snader closed the 25-14 win with a kill from Karlie Kerschner.
Berks erased a 12-7 deficit and later answered after falling behind 26-25 to take the second set, 28-26. Earlier, Shea Leber, Gote, Gabryella Maney and Emily Snader helped the Nittany Lions trade points through a 7-7 tie before Keystone scored five straight. After a sideout, Karlie Kerschner served five straight points, including two aces, and Gote added a kill from Kerschner as Berks moved from down 12-8 to ahead 13-12. Later, after Keystone went in front 24-21, Madelyn Caris put down a kill and continued at the service line as the Blue & White ran off the next four points to go ahead 25-24. Keystone retook a 26-25 edge, but Leber tied it with a kill from Gote, a Keystone bad set put Berks back in front, and Tribbett finished Libby Swoyer's set for the final point.
The Nittany Lions cut Keystone's advantage from 18-10 to 18-14 in the third set with Ella Griffiths serving, using Griffiths' ace, a Keystone bad set, Gwen Tew's kill from Libby Swoyer and a Keystone attack error. Earlier, Berks had to play out of an early 3-0 hole and later trailed 9-3, with Gote, Emily Snader and Tribbett supplying kills and Karlie Kerschner adding a service ace during the climb. A Gote kill and a Libby Swoyer ace moved the Blue & White from 15-7 to 15-9, but Keystone pushed the score to 18-9 before the Berks run. After Keystone stopped that stretch, the Nittany Lions added another Gote kill from Swoyer to move the score to 20-16 and an Emily Snader kill from Julia Zaprazny at 22-17, but Keystone scored the final three points to take the set 25-17.
Berks built several fourth-set leads, including a 22-20 edge late, but Keystone scored the next four points and finished off a 25-23 set. Earlier, Tew served the Nittany Lions in front with an ace, and Madelyn Caris followed with back-to-back kills from Libby Swoyer to make it 6-3. After Keystone tied the set at 6-6, Caris put the Blue & White back ahead, and Gabryella Maney's service turn helped stretch the margin to 11-6 with an Emily Snader kill, a Snader-Caris block and two Keystone errors. Keystone later pulled even at 18-18, but Berks answered with a service error by Keystone, a Snader kill from Swoyer and another Keystone error to keep pressure on before the late swing. After the Nittany Lions got back within 24-23 on a service error, Isabella Buonopane's kill closed the set for Keystone.
Berks closed the fifth set from an 11-11 tie with four straight points, getting an Ella Griffiths service ace and a Tew kill from Libby Swoyer to finish a 15-11 set win. Earlier, the Nittany Lions stayed level through a back-and-forth start behind kills from Leber, Madelyn Caris and Emily Snader. The visitors created separation from a 7-6 edge with consecutive kills by Swoyer, Tew and Leber, the last assisted by Karlie Kerschner, to move ahead 10-6. Keystone responded with four straight points to tie the set at 10-10, but Tew answered with a kill from Swoyer before the Blue & White later put away the final four points.
Libby Swoyer finished with 27 assists and added four digs. Karlie Kerschner collected a team-high 17 digs and added three service aces. Ella Griffiths served a team-best four aces and recorded eight digs. Gote tied for the team lead with 10 kills and added nine digs and two block assists.
Berks moved in front in the opening set by turning an 11-12 deficit into a 16-13 lead, with Emily Snader recording two kills during that stretch and Tori Schaeffer and Ella Griffiths each adding a service ace. Earlier, the Blue & White settled in after SUNY Poly scored the first two points, getting a Madelyn Caris kill from Marissa Bailey and a Dani Tribbett kill from Bailey to tie the set at 3-3. Caris added kills at 8-6 and 9-7 as the Nittany Lions kept answering SUNY Poly's early separation, and Gwen Tew's service ace later tied the set at 11-11. Berks extended its lead to 20-15 behind kills from Shea Leber and a SUNY Poly attack error, then responded after SUNY Poly closed to 20-19 by finishing the set with a Snader kill from Gabryella Maney, a Tribbett kill from Libby Swoyer and a final SUNY Poly attack error for a 25-20 win.
The Nittany Lions answered a 23-23 tie by taking the final two points, converting set point on a SUNY Poly setting error to win the second set 25-23. Earlier, the home side moved ahead 5-2 as Tew and Emily Snader put down kills, Emily Snader and Tribbett combined on a block, and SUNY Poly added two errors. SUNY Poly worked back to 9-9 and later went up 14-12, but Berks responded with kills from Julia Zaprazny and Madelyn Caris before Gabryella Maney's ace put the Blue & White ahead 17-16. After SUNY Poly tied the set again at 19-19, Madelyn Caris delivered a kill and the Nittany Lions reached 23-20 before closing out the set after SUNY Poly's late push.
Berks used two extended scoring stretches and a late closing push to win the third set 25-14. After the set was tied 1-1, the Nittany Lions won the next six points, getting an Emily Snader kill from Gabryella Maney and a Gabryella Maney kill from Schaeffer during the run to move ahead 7-1. The Blue & White later stretched a 9-3 lead to 16-4 behind kills from Madelyn Caris and Libby Swoyer, another Swoyer kill, and an Ella Griffiths service ace. SUNY Poly answered with five straight points to cut the margin to 16-9, but Berks steadied the set with a Tew-Leber block and Caris kills before Marissa Bailey served out the final four points, including two Julia Zaprazny kills and kills from Snader and Maney.
Madelyn Caris led the Nittany Lions with 10 kills and 13 digs. Schaeffer finished with 17 assists, three digs and one service ace. Ella Griffiths recorded three service aces and added 11 digs. Emily Snader posted seven kills while hitting .385 and collected five digs.
WHO'S NEXT
Up next, the Nittany Lions will have four straight home contests, beginning on Wednesday, September 30 at 6 p.m. as Berks host Cedar Crest College at the Beaver Athletics and Wellness Center in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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