MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team continued its strong play as of late with a pair of sweeps on Saturday afternoon, October 4 at the Capital Union Building. The Lions took the opener against United East opponent St. Mary's (Md.) before capping the day off with another decisive win over McDaniel in non-conference action.


GAME 1
Penn State Harrisburg (10-4, 3-0 UEC) remains undefeated in conference play thanks to a 25-7, 25-18, 25-15 victory over the Seahawks (6-10, 1-1 UEC) in the opener. The home team got out to a hot start, leading 6-1 early after Brianna Ondishin Ribon and Nicole Dos Santos delivered consecutive kills. Ondishin Ribon's offensive prowess, coupled with Alex Jurney's strong blocking helped widen the Lions' advantage and eventually the set ended 25-7 in their favor.


In the second set, the home team found momentum early with a 5-0 run, propelled by Mackenzy Miller's service ace and a kill from Hannah DeGregory. Despite a brief rally by St. Mary's (Md.), Penn State Harrisburg maintained their lead with strong offensive plays including several kills by Ondishin Ribon and Camryn Wettstone. Both squads exchanged points in a tight mid-set stretch, but the Lions pulled away once again with all-important blocking by Emily Miller and Jurney as they took the second frame.


The Seahawks got out to an initial 3-0 advantage in the last set before a kill from DeGregory fueled a 6-0 Penn State Harribsurg run that also saw a pair of kills by Ondishin Ribon. The Lions closed out the set strongly, with Jurney and Wettstone adding late kills and the squad sealed the set with a decisive 25-15 score, effectively concluding the match with a substantial advantage.


GAME 2
The Lions' second contest of the day was a back-and-forth battle against McDaniel (8-7) especially in the first pair of sets that concluded 25-22 and 25-20. In the opening set, the score was knotted 21-21 late, but E. Miller and Wettstone both had kills to go along with a service ace from Ondishin Ribon to secure the first-set win.


Dos Santos started off the second frame with back-to-back service aces that set the tone for the rest of the set, while the trio of DeGregory, Wettstone, and E. Miller racked up the kills from their attack positions.


The home team left no doubt in the final set of the afternoon, as Penn State Harrisburg went on a pair of runs that powered the 25-13 victory, securing the complete-day sweep.


NOTABLES
- DeGregory chipped in everywhere, as she totaled 34 assists, 23 digs, and 19 kills on the day.
- M. Miller was lethal from her setting position against the Seahawks, tallying 20 assists and added four service aces and 10 digs. In the second contest, she recorded 12 assists and 12 digs.
- Ondishin Ribon led the Lions in game one with 15 kills to go along with eight digs. She added 19 digs and nine kills in the nightcap.
- Between both matches, Wettstone had a total of 18 kills.
- Bukowski had double-digit digs in both contests, 14 against St. Mary's (Md.) and 11 versus the Green Terror.
- E. Miller recorded 15 total kills, while Dos Santos tallied 15 digs on the day.


WHO'S NEXT?
Penn State Harrisburg has a week off before traveling to United East foe Gallaudet on Saturday, October 11 for a tri-match against the hosts and non-conference opponent Albright.


STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube using the handle @pshbgathletics.