Youngwood, Pa- The Penn State Greater Allegheny Women's Volleyball team traveled to Westmoreland CC this evening for a non-conference match, where it suffered a 3-0 (20-25, 21-25, 19-25) defeat.
Both teams came out strong in the first set, as they battled back and forth for the lead. A tie score at 14-14 marked the eighth time the teams were even. Westmoreland CC began to prevail in the struggle, as they pulled ahead at 22-16. A timely Kill for Greater Allegheny by Freshman Alyssa Finocchi (Baldwin) pulled GA within four, at 24-20. Westmoreland CC would earn the next point, and held on for a 25-20 victory in set 1.
The second set would materialize much like the first, with both teams fighting back and forth early. After earning a tie at 8-8, Westmoreland CC would then stretch out to a 15-9 lead. Not discouraged by the deficit, the GA women fought back to bring the score to 15-14, on a Kill by Freshman Christina Floyd (St. John Nuemann). But as with the first set, Westmoreland CC would again hold off the Greater Allegheny charge, and survived for a 25-21 victory.
In the third and eventual final set, both teams followed the same script as the first two sets. Five early lead changes and four ties set up a competitive final set. Westmoreland CC pushed the score to 13-9, forcing a GA timeout. Coming out of the break, Greater Allegheny would grind it's way back to 18-14, on a Kill by Alyssa Finocchi. As they had done in the first two sets, Westmoreland CC would stave off the GA comeback attempt, and clinched the match with a 25-19 win.
Several Greater Allegheny women turned in strong efforts, led by Alyssa Finocchi and her 5 Kills and 4 Digs. Christina Floyd added in 3 Kills and 1 Dig, while Freshman Samantha Clark (Steel Valley) contributed 2 Kills and 7 Assists.
The loss drops the Greater Allegheny women's record to 4-14 overall, and remains 3-7 in PSUAC play. Next up for GA is a Saturday trip out east, as they take on Penn State Hazleton and Penn College. The PSUAC matches will begin at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM
