Women's Volleyball Splits PSUAC Contests
McKeesport, Pa- The Penn State Greater Allegheny Women's Volleyball team split it's two PSUAC matches, dropping a 3-0 (10-25, 21-25, 8-25) decision to Penn State Brandywine, and defeating Penn State Schuylkill 3-2 (25-18, 20-25, 25-20, 16-25, 15-7).
In the first game, Penn State Brandywine owned control over all three of the sets. The Greater Allegheny women saw their efforts stymied, as they were swept 3-0. Leading the GA efforts were Freshmen Christina Floyd (St. John Neumann) and Alyssa Finocchi (Baldwin), who each had 3 Kills. Finocchi added 4 Digs, while Freshman Samantha Clark (Steel Valley) and Junior Helena Vasser (Schenley) each chipped in with 8 Digs.
The second game, against Penn State Schuylkill, would prove to be much more competitive. Beginning in the first set, both teams would struggle to pull away from one another. After back and forth action, including nine ties, Penn State Greater Allegheny would spring out to a 21-16 lead. An important Kill by Alyssa Finocchi, and back-to-back Service Aces from Christina Floyd, propelled GA in front. Greater Allegheny would earn four of the next six points, to clinch the first set, 25-18.
Greater Allegheny came out firing in the second set, jumping to an early 6-1 lead. The women from Schuylkill fought all the way back, to tie the score at six. Schuylkill would remain in control, until the GA women put together a 4-1 run, cutting the score to 17-15. Two points would be as close as Greater Allegheny would get, as Schuylkill held on for a 25-20 win.
The third set played out much like the first, with neither team gaining much head-way over the other. Schuylkill would retain a tight lead throughout, but couldn't put GA away. Three straight Service Aces from Alyssa Finocchi would keep the score close, at 17-16. A timely Kill from Freshman Megan Carroll (Ramona Convent) would put Greater Allegheny up 19-18. They would not surrender the lead, and earned a 25-20 victory.
Facing defeat, Penn State Schuylkill would bounce back in a big way. After getting up 5-4, Schuylkill would lead for the remainder of the set. Greater Allegheny never got closer than three, and Schuylkill cruised to a 25-16 win, extending the match.
The fifth and final set did not start out well for Greater Allegheny. They would give up the first three points to Schuylkill, before fighting back to tie the score. Knotted up at 7-7, the GA women would amass an impressive 8-0 run, winning 15-7 on a Service Ace from Freshman Corinne Wilson (Bethel Park). The set win would clinch a 3-2 match victory for Greater Allegheny.
The Greater Allegheny women performed valiantly, led by Alyssa Finocchi's 12 Kills, 14 Service Aces, and 10 Digs. Freshman Audra Besnak (Steel Valley) contributed 14 Assists, with Samantha Clark adding 13 of her own. Megan Carroll also put in a strong offensive effort, drilling 8 Kills.
After today's action, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Women's Volleyball team now owns a 2-10 record overall, and is 1-4 in PSUAC play. Greater Allegheny will be back in action tomorrow, September 25, as it travels to Fayette to take on Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State York.
