MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team split its pair of contests at the Capital Union Building on Saturday, Oct. 3, defeating conference foe Cairn in a five-set thriller to open the day before falling in four sets to Division II Point Park (Pa.) in the final match of the afternoon.
Camryn Wettstone had an historic first contest, as she matched the single-match program record for total points with 24 thanks to 21 kills, a service ace, and a pair of blocks. Brianna Ondishin Ribon was also stellar in the victory, finishing with 19 kills and 17 digs. Kate Bukowski had herself 19 digs against Cairn, while setters Mackenzy Miller and Tobi West combined for 49 assists.
The Lions (8-6, 2-0 United East) took the first set 25-15 in a comfortable fashion, opening up a sizable lead midway through the set during a West service run that was capped by an Ondishin Ribon kill. The Highlanders (9-5, 1-2 United East) cut it to five but Penn State Harrisburg closed it out with an impressive 5-1 run punctuated by an Ellie Brown kill to seal the set.
The home team dropped the next two sets 25-16 and 25-23 before responding with much-needed 25-14 victory in the fourth set. The Lions led 13-10 before using a dominant 9-0 spurt during an Ariana Pecunes service run that included kills from Wettstone and Tesia Oliva to put things out of reach.
The deciding set was the most dramatic of the contest, with the Lions jumping out to a 5-3 lead before Cairn responded with three straight points. The visitors led 11-9 but a well-timed timeout by head coach Amanda Walker allowed Penn State Harrisburg to regroup and pull even thanks to back-to-back kills from Ondishin Ribon and Wettstone. The Highlanders took the next point but it be their last of the match, as the Lions reeled off four straight including a match-ending kill from Wettstone that completed the comeback victory.
NOTABLES
- Wettstone matched the single-match program record for total points with 24.0 in the win over Cairn. She recorded 31 total kills on the day.
- Ondishin Ribon got it done on both sides of the net, racking up 28 kills and 35 digs across both contests.
- Mackenzy Miller totaled 38 assists and 13 digs on the day.
- Bukowski led the team in digs in each match, finishing with a combined 42 across both contests.
- West tallied 35 total assists and a dozen digs.
- Emily Miller had eight kills in each match and posted a .533 hitting percentage against Cairn.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions continue conference play when they host United East foe Gallaudet on Tuesday night.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.
