BRIDGEWATER, Va. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's volleyball team split a pair of games in tri-match action on Saturday, Sept. 19 hosted by Bridgewater. In the opener, the Lions fell to the hosts 3-0 before earning a 3-1 victory over Virginia St. in the second contest.
GAME 1
Bridgewater (8-1) got out to an early lead in the first set and never looked back, extending the advantage by 14 after a service ace from Claire Griffith making it 22-8. After dropping the first set 11-25, the Lions (4-4) gave the Eagles a run for their money in the second frame.
Brianna Ondishin Ribon helped Penn State Harrisburg get out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a kill and a service ace. Although the home team went on a 7-0 run midway through the set, the Lions went on a pair of mini runs of their own. The first surge tied the contest up 16-16 after another kill and ace from Ondishin Ribon and two attack errors by Bridgewater. The second spurt was more timely than ever, putting the visitors up 23-22. The Eagles, however, finished out the set with three unanswered points, all of which were kills.
The hosts continued the momentum in the final set, starting off with a 9-1 advantage and never letting Penn State Harrisburg within striking distance. Ondishin Ribon attempted to provide a spark for the Lions' offense, tallying four of her seven total kills in the third set.
GAME 2
Penn State Harrisburg (5-4) bounced back in the last contest of the day, topping Virginia St. (3-6) 3-1 with set scores of 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-14.
Camryn Wettstone and Ondishin Ribon poured in double-digit kills with 16 and 11 respectively, while Kate Bukwoski posted 15 digs. From the setter position,
Mackenzy Miller impressed with 25 assists and Abigial Frownfelter had 14 helpers of her own.
The first set was one of runs, with each squad trading multiple spurts throughout. Thankfully the Lions had the first surge of the frame and it was the Trojans who fought to claw back any chance they got. That beginning run started with a kill by
Tesia Oliva and ended with back-to-back kills from Wettstone and
Chasya Deliazard. Penn State Harrisburg closed out the set with kills by
Ellie Brown and Ondishin Ribon to secure the 25-21 set win.
The Lions wasted no time in the second set, getting out to a 4-0 advantage right away. Oliva, Wettstone, and Brown had consecutive kills before Ondishin Ribon tacked on a service ace. Although Virginia St. tied the score up 8-8, Penn State Harrisburg kept the lead for the entire set. Along with their offensive presence, the Lions also capitalized on nearly double-digit attack errors by their opponents. After dropping the third set by a short margin, Penn State Harrisburg decisively took the fourth frame 25-14 to secure the overall victory. The Lions paired an initial 6-0 run and a five-point surge midway through to fuel the final-set win.
NOTABLES
- Wettstone posted 16 kills and four digs in the second contest.
- Ondishin Ribon tallied 11 kills, eight digs, and five service aces against Virginia St.
- Bukowski totaled 20 digs between both games on Saturday.
- M. Miller poured in 25 assists against the Trojans, while Frownfelter had 14 helpers of her own.
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Ariana Pecunes added a trio of service aces in game two.
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Emily Miller and Oliva both had five kills apiece versus Virginia St.
WHO'S NEXT?
Penn State Harrisburg is back home on Wednesday night, Sept. 23 against Marymount at 6 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @
pshbgathletics.
