SCRANTON, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team split a pair of games in tri-match action on Saturday, September 13 hosted by Marywood. In the opener, the Lions edged out the home team in a five-set thriller at Insalaco Arena, before dropping a 3-1 decision to Widener in the second contest.


GAME 1
Penn State Harrisburg (4-2) dominated the first set, opening with a substantial lead over Marywood (7-1) and maintaining control throughout. Key contributions came from Hannah DeGregory, who delivered seven kills during the opening frame. Mackenzy Miller's consistent setting facilitated a series of successful attacks, notably from Brianna Ondishin Ribon and Camryn Wettstone, enabling the team to capitalize on the Pacers' errors. A strong finish saw Penn State Harrisburg secure the set 25-14.


The home team took an early lead in the second set, but the Lions shifted momentum dramatically with a standout performance from Nicole Dos Santos, who delivered four consecutive service aces to propel her team ahead. Penn State Harrisburg finished the set with 25-18 advantage before dropping the third frame to the Pacers. Marywood's consistent scoring, including consecutive service aces by Emilie Agnoli, ultimately secured their third-set and eventually fourth-set victories.


The Lions opened the decisive fifth set with a strong performance, highlighted by M. Miller's pivotal set-ups and all while the visitors were able to capitalize on the Pacers' service errors and built momentum with Dos Santos' service ace and DeGregory's successive kills. The set concluded with Wettstone and Tesia Oliva sealing the match through critical kills assisted by DeGregory.


GAME 2
The first set opened with a competitive exchange of points, but a mid-set surge by Penn State Harrisburg (4-3), highlighted by Alex Jurney's back-to-back kills, set the tone for their dominance. Ondishin Ribon and M. Miller were instrumental in widening the gap, with Ondishin Ribon delivering a service ace and Miller facilitating several crucial plays. DeGregory closed the set emphatically with three consecutive kills, securing a 25-19 victory for the home team.


Despite a strong offensive effort in the second frame, including vital kills from DeGregory and Emily Miller, the Lions faced challenges as Widener (2-7) capitalized on attack errors and effective blocking, building a lead that proved difficult to overcome. A late push featuring a service ace from Jurney narrowed the gap, but the Pride ultimately secured the set 25-20. The two remaining sets proved more of the same for the Lions, as they were unable to deter Widener's offensive prowess that was ultimately highlighted by five-straight service aces by Kaitlyn Guessford in the final frame.


NOTABLES
- DeGregory impressed in game one, as she recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 15 assists. She led the Lions with a hitting percentage of .481 against the Pacers. In the second contest, DeGregory stayed consistent with 14 assists, 10 kills, and nine digs.
- Ondishin Ribon had a double-double of her own against Widener, that consisted of 13 digs and 11 kills. She added 15 kills and five digs in the victory over the home team.
- M. Miller was vital from her setter position, as she had a total of 42 assists between both games and added nine digs for good measure.
- Dos Santos had a monster game two for Penn State Harrisburg, totaling 22 digs and three service aces. The freshman also contributed 14 digs and six aces against the Pacers.
- Kate Bukowski shined on the defensive side and contributed 30 digs for the Lions.


WHO'S NEXT?
Penn State Harrisburg has their home opener at the Capital Union Building on Tuesday night, September 16 at 7 p.m. as they face off against non-conference opponent Alvernia.


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