MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set decision to Hood at the Capital Union Building on Thursday night, Sept. 28. The Lions were unable to hang on in the 14-25, 27-25, 25-21, 15-25, 15-7 setback. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State Harrisburg (6-7) came firing out of the gate on Thursday night but Hood (6-10) responded with back-to-back set victories to grab the overall lead. The Lions answered with a convincing win in the fourth set but the Blazers rode a strong start in the fifth and deciding set to an overall victory. 

The home team jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the opening set and never looked back. After accumulating a sizable lead, the Lions used a 9-3 run capped by a Julia Choe service ace to end the set and pull ahead in the early going. 

The second set was a back-and-forth affair that saw Penn State Harrisburg hold a multiple-point lead in the final minutes but Hood used a crucial 6-1 run to erase the deficit in crunch time, take the set, and even the match.

The Blazers created a bit of separation midway through the third set before hanging on for a narrow win but the Lions responded with a dominant fourth set that saw them pull ahead by as many as 13 points before Briana Ondishin Ribon put the finishing touches on the victory with a kill off a Katie Richardson assist.

Hood was the first team to eight in the final set and the visitors were able to stretch their four-point advantage at the halfway point to an eventual 15-7 decision and escape the Capital Union Building with the narrow victory. 

NOTABLES

- Richardson racked up 40 assists, six digs, two service aces, and five block assists. 

- Choe finished with 28 digs and four service aces. 

- Tori Henderson tallied 11 kills, 15 digs, and four total blocks. 

- Tiniira Tubo recorded 11 kills and six block assists.

- Ondishin Ribon racked up seven total blocks to go along with eight kills. 

- Hannah DeGregory added nine kills, a pair of service aces, and 14 digs. 

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions head to King's (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon for tri-match action with the hosts and former conference foe Morrisville.

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.