McKeesport, PA. – Riding high off of one of their biggest wins in program history, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Volleyball team (4-7, 3-2) host Penn State New Kensington (1-5, 0-4) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. It was a big momentum boost for PSUGA on Sunday when they defeated PSU-Fayette 3-1 breaking an eight-year, 20-game, losing streak that dated back to the team’s beginnings in 2011.
PSUGA came out fighting in the opening set going back and forth with Fayette before PSUGA fell 25-22 and went behind 1-0 in the match. However, PSUGA rallied back in set two once again going point-for-point with Fayette until it was deadlocked at 20-20 late in the set. That is when PSUGA kicked it to another gear and came out with a 25-23 win to even the match at one set apiece.
Set three was a turning point for PSUGA as they found themselves tied at 24-24 and forcing a win-by-two scenario. It would be PSUGA that rallied scoring the final two points of the set on kills by Alix Ellis (Derry, PA./Derry Area HS) and PSUGA would take a 2-1 lead. It was the first time PSUGA had taken more than one set from Fayette and they would close out their first-ever win with a 25-17 win in set four completing the 3-1 victory.
PSUGA turned to Ellis and she powered them through with 12 kills on 13 total attempts and committing just five errors on the night. Ellis currently ranks third in the Penn State University Athletic Conference in kills with 120 and is on pace to set a new career-high after registering 181 in her first season. Ellis also has her eyes on the history books with 302 career kills, putting her in fourth place in program history.
Alexa Martell (Elizabeth, PA./Elizabeth Forward HS) and Sueriah Timsah (Mesquite, TX./West Mesquite HS) added to the offensive attack with 10 and nine kills respectively and Juliana Brill (Mount Jackson, VA./Stonewall Jackson HS) once again led the defense with 14 digs on the day. Brill ranks fourth in the PSUAC with 152 digs and has already set her new career-high before the halfway point of the season.
With the win, PSUGA now sits in fourth place in the PSUAC West Conference standings, just a half-game behind PSU-Beaver for the #3 spot. With the top four teams from each division making the tournament, PSUGA has to continue to win to be able to ensure their place in the PSUAC Tournament.
They get the chance to do that against a PSU-New Kensington team that has struggled dropping their last four matches, including their last 12 straight sets. Last time out, they fell to PSU-Fayette on Saturday by scores of 25-9, 25-9, and 25-11. Kaylea Flick led the way for New Ken with seven kills on 24 total attacks in the loss.
Previous Matchups
In 17 previous match-ups with PSU-New Kensington, PSUGA has faired well going 13-4 over that span. Their last match-up came on October 20th, 2018 when PSUGA scored a 3-0 win. Ellis and Kaylee Holtzman (McKeesport, PA./McKeesport HS) led the way on offense with nine and eight kills respectively in the win.
Tip-off for Tuesday night’s match-up is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Wunderley Gym with doors opening at 6 p.m.
