McKeesport, PA. – It may be just two weeks into Penn State University Athletic Conference play, but the Penn State Greater Allegheny Volleyball team (3-6, 2-1) will take on Penn State Beaver (6-3, 2-1) in a match that could have playoff implications Saturday at 2 p.m. Both teams enter the game tied for third place in the PSUAC standings and try to claim the number three spot in the early going.
PSUGA scored a big conference win last time out when they defeated PSU-DuBois on the road 3-1. After a back and forth start to the first set, PSUGA was able to hold on and squeeze out a 25-23 victory to take a 1-0 lead. It was the first time in the last four games that PSUGA had taken the first set of a match and they would use that advantage to help propel them into the second set.
They did just that jumping on DuBois early in set two and coming away with a 25-15 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. PSU-DuBois fought back in set three, forcing a win-by-two scenario and came away with a 27-25 win to keep the match alive before PSUGA finished things off taking the fourth and final set 25-17 and picking up the win.
Sueriah Timsah (Mesquite, TX./West Mesquite HS) led the offense with 11 kills on 18 total attacks while picking up seven digs on the night. Alix Ellis (Derry, PA./Derry Area HS) and Alexa Martell (Elizabeth, PA./Elizabeth Forward HS) each added six kills while Juliana Brill (Mount Jackson, VA./Stonewall Jackson H) led the defense with 15 digs on the day.
The win pulled PSUGA into a tie for third place in the West Division with PSU-Beaver. The top four teams from each division in the PSUAC make the playoff tournament and PSUGA is looking to get a leg up on their competition early in the season to set them up for a strong run by regular season’s end.
PSU-Beaver fell in their last conference game on Sunday to PSU-Mont Alto forcing five sets in what would be a 3-2 loss. Beaver fell behind 2-1 before bouncing back with a 25-23 win to force the fifth set. However, Mont Alto’s high-powered offense was too much for Beaver to handle as they dropped the final set 15-8. Priscilla Medal led the way for Beaver with 12 kills on 42 total attacks in the loss.
Previous Match-ups
In 21 previous match-ups with PSU-Beaver, PSUGA has struggled sitting at just 4-17 in those 21 games. Their last meeting came on October 9th 2018 when PSU-Beaver picked up a 3-0 win over PSUGA. Ellis led the offense in that game picking up seven kills on 27 total attacks in the loss.
Tip-off for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Wunderley Gym. The doors will open at 1 p.m. with the game following at 2 p.m.
