Monaca, Pa- Greater Allegheny staved off game points in two sets, propelling themselves to a 3-2 (25-21, 16-25, 28-26, 18-25, 17-15) PSUAC win over Penn State Beaver.
The first two sets were mirror images of one another, with GA jumping to early lead in the first, before holding on for a 25-21 win. Beaver returned the favor in set two, stretching an early lead into a 25-16 win.
A back-and-forth third set reached its tenth tie, as a service ace from sophomore Audra Besnak (Steel Valley, PA) tied the score at 15-15. A quick 5-0 run by Beaver pushed them ahead 20-15, forcing a Greater Allegheny timeout. Beaver appeared to be in control up 24-20, but back-to-back service aces from sophomore Alyssa Finocchi (Baldwin, PA) brought GA back within one. After tying the game and then falling behind 25-24, a critical kill from sophomore Christina Floyd (St. John Neumann, PA) brought Greater Allegheny back from the brink yet again. GA would take the lead at 27-26 when Beaver commited a service error, and then clinched the comeback on a service ace from Audra Besnak.
Beaver would overcome an early Greater Allegheny lead in set four, forcing a deciding fifth game.
After four early ties, GA trailed 9-8 following a kill from Alyssa Finocchi. A 5-3 Beaver run put them in position to clinch the match, but as they had done all afternoon, the Greater Allegheny women would find a way to come back. Two kills from Christina Floyd tied the score at 14-14, forcing Beaver to take a timeout. With the score tied for the sixth time at 15-15, GA would earn the final two points, clinching the match.
Alyssa Finocchi had a big day on the attack for Greater Allegheny, drilling 15 kills and six service aces. Christina Floyd added eight important kills with nine digs, while freshman Haley Worden (Madonna, PA) chipped in 23 assists. Sophomore Corinne Wilson (Bethel Park, PA) also had a strong day offensively, with five kills.
The victory improves Greater Allegheny's overall record to 3-6, while also moving them to 1-1 in the PSUAC. GA returns to the court this Monday, September 24 for a 6 PM match at Westmoreland CC.