CHAMBERSBURG, PA - The Penn State Berks Women's Volleyball Team went on the road as they competed in a Tri-Match against Goucher University and host institute Wilson College on Saturday, September 5. Berks went back-and-forth that saw them fall 3-2 to the Gophers in the first match while Berks rebounded with a 3-0 sweep of the Phoenix in match two.
Against Goucher, Berks made its biggest move with Libby Swoyer at the service line, scoring six straight points from a 14-13 deficit to take a 19-14 lead, with Swoyer recording two aces during the stretch. Goucher built a 9-4 advantage before the Nittany Lions answered with four consecutive points on kills by Delaney Gote, Madelyn Caris and Gwen Tew, plus a Goucher attack error. Mackenzie Davis added an ace as Berks worked back within 13-12 before Swoyer's serving run pushed the visitors in front. Goucher closed the gap late, but Tew's kill gave the Blue & White set point at 24-22, and an attack error by Goucher finished a 25-23 opening-set win for Berks.
The Nittany Lions started the second set with four straight points on Libby Swoyer's serve, including a Swoyer ace and consecutive blocks involving Emily Snader, the first alongside Shea Leber. Gote added a kill from Swoyer after Goucher got on the board, and Mackenzie Davis later served back-to-back aces to push Berks ahead 8-3 before Gabryella Maney's ace made it 10-6. Tew's kill from Maney kept the Nittany Lions in front at 11-9, and a Goucher service error made it 12-10, but Goucher answered with six straight points, including a Sofia Ortiz ace and three Caroline Carter kills, to move ahead 16-12. Berks kept trading points late, getting kills from Snader and Leber, but after Leber's kill from Maney brought the score to 22-19, Goucher closed the set with three straight points for a 25-19 finish.
The Blue & White outlasted Goucher 29-27 in the third set, closing the set on consecutive Goucher attack errors after the score reached 27-27. Earlier, Berks built separation behind contributions from Dani Tribbett, Gote, Madelyn Caris, Ella Griffiths, Tew and Leber, moving ahead 13-9. Griffiths then served four straight Nittany Lions points from 13-9 to 17-9, with Gote and Tribbett each recording two kills during that stretch. Goucher rallied to tie the set at 20-20 and move ahead 21-20, but Berks kept answering late, including a Leber kill to make it 24-24 and a Gote kill for a 26-25 edge before finishing the set at 29-27.
Berks held a 21-19 lead late in the fourth set after a Julia Zaprazny kill, but Goucher scored the final six points to take the set, 25-21. Earlier, the Nittany Lions answered a 15-13 deficit with a push that included an Emily Snader kill, a Madelyn Caris kill and a Snader block to move ahead 18-16. Gote, Tribbett, Leber and Ella Griffiths also supplied points as the Blue & White stayed within reach through the middle of the set. Snader added another kill from Mackenzie Davis to make it 20-18, and Zaprazny's later kill restored a two-point edge before Goucher's closing run ended the set.
The Nittany Lions were tied 7-7 midway through the fifth set before Goucher scored five straight points to move ahead 12-7. Earlier, Libby Swoyer opened the set with a service ace, then assisted kills by Tribbett, Madelyn Caris and Gote as Berks built a 4-2 edge. Emily Snader added a kill from Gabryella Maney to put the Blue & White in front 7-6, but Goucher answered with a Caroline Carter kill to level the set and followed with its decisive stretch. Tribbett stopped that run with a kill from Maney, but Goucher took the final three points and Berks dropped the set, 15-8.
Gote led the Nittany Lions with 12 kills and 13.0 points, adding one solo block. Swoyer recorded a team-high 21 assists and four service aces while adding eight digs. Davis collected a team-high 21 digs and added three service aces. Maney finished with 16 assists and 12 digs.
Against Wilson, Berks took the lead at 3-2 in the first set and did not trail again, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 9-3 advantage. Caris tied the set with a kill from Libby Swoyer, and the Nittany Lions followed with a run built on Wilson attack errors, a Madelyn Caris-Gwen Tew block and Delaney Gote's service rotation. Wilson got back within 11-10 behind Hannah Pollard kills and an Addie Hebert ace, but Berks answered with five straight points, including a Marissa Bailey block and two Swoyer aces, to move ahead 16-10. Gote and Tew added late kills, Emily Snader and Caris combined on a block, and Caris finished the 25-15 set win with a service ace.
The Nittany Lions turned a 21-20 deficit into a 25-21 second-set win by taking the final five points, starting with Gote's kill to tie the set at 21-21 and continuing with Libby Swoyer serving through the finish. Swoyer put Berks ahead 22-21 with a service ace, then assisted kills by Gote and Emily Snader before a Wilson bad set closed the set. Earlier, Julia Zaprazny opened the set with a kill from Swoyer, but Wilson answered with four straight points before the Blue & White worked back behind kills from Snader, Madelyn Caris and Gote. Berks kept responding through the middle of the set, tying it at 16-16 on a Wilson bad set and again at 20-20 on Tew's kill from Karlie Kerschner before finishing with the late run.
Berks broke a 13-13 tie with six straight points in the third set, starting with a Madelyn Caris kill from Libby Swoyer and continuing through Dani Tribbett's serving rotation to build a 19-13 lead. Earlier, the visitors scored the first four points behind a Gote kill from Swoyer, a Gote/Tribbett block and Wilson errors, then later used kills from Caris, Emily Snader and Marissa Bailey before Wilson came back to tie the set at 10-10 and again at 13-13. Wilson answered the 19-13 Berks run and pulled even at 21-21 on consecutive kills by Sydney Tracey. The Nittany Lions responded with the final four points, moving ahead on a Wilson service error before a Tribbett block, a Karlie Kerschner ace and a Tribbett kill from Bailey closed out the 25-21 set win.
Gote led Berks with 10 kills and 13.0 points while adding five total blocks. Libby Swoyer finished with 18 assists and served four aces, both team highs, and added five digs. Karlie Kerschner collected a team-high 12 digs, added three assists and served two aces. Emily Snader matched Gote with five total blocks and added five kills while hitting .364.
Against Wilson, Berks took the lead at 3-2 in the first set and did not trail again, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 9-3 advantage. Madelyn Caris tied the set with a kill from Libby Swoyer, and the Nittany Lions followed with a run built on Wilson attack errors, a Caris-Tew block and Delaney Gote's service rotation. Wilson got back within 11-10 behind Hannah Pollard kills and an Addie Hebert ace, but Berks answered with five straight points, including a Marissa Bailey block and two Swoyer aces, to move ahead 16-10. Gote and Tew added late kills, Snader and Caris combined on a block, and Caris finished the 25-15 set win with a service ace.
The Nittany Lions turned a 21-20 deficit into a 25-21 second-set win by taking the final five points, starting with Gote's kill to tie the set at 21-21 and continuing with Swoyer serving through the finish. Swoyer put Berks ahead 22-21 with a service ace, then assisted kills by Gote and Emily Snader before a Wilson bad set closed the set. Earlier, Julia Zaprazny opened the set with a kill from Swoyer, but Wilson answered with four straight points before the Blue & White worked back behind kills from Snader, Caris and Gote. Berks kept responding through the middle of the set, tying it at 16-16 on a Wilson bad set and again at 20-20 on Tew's kill from Karlie Kerschner before finishing with the late run.
Berks broke a 13-13 tie with six straight points in the third set, starting with a Madelyn Caris kill from Swoyer and continuing through Tribbett's serving rotation to build a 19-13 lead. Earlier, the visitors scored the first four points behind a Gote kill from Swoyer, a Gote/Tribbett block and Wilson errors, then later used kills from Caris, Emily Snader and Marissa Bailey before Wilson came back to tie the set at 10-10 and again at 13-13. Wilson answered the 19-13 Berks run and pulled even at 21-21 on consecutive kills by Sydney Tracey. The Nittany Lions responded with the final four points, moving ahead on a Wilson service error before a Tribbett block, a Karlie Kerschner ace and a Tribbett kill from Bailey closed out the 25-21 set win.
Gote led Berks with 10 kills and 13.0 points while adding five total blocks. Swoyer finished with 18 assists and served four aces, both team highs, and added five digs. Kerschner collected a team-high 12 digs, added three assists and served two aces. Snader matched Gote with five total blocks and added five kills while hitting .364.
WHO'S NEXT
Up next, the Nittany Lions travel to Baltimore, Maryland, to go against a familiar team in Goucher College on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 11 p.m.
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