The Penn State Altoona Lady Lions volleyball team started its run for an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference crown on Wednesday night, as the No. 4 Lady Lions hosted the No. 5 Franciscan University Lady Barons at Adler gym. The match was a game of runs, but the Lady Lions had relatively no trouble in defeating the Lady Barons, winning the match in a clean 3-0 sweep and advancing to the semifinal of the AMCC tournament.
“The passing was on fire, spot-on tonight and our defense was phenomenal,” answered 12th-year coach Phil Peterman when asked about what went right for the Lady Lions during Wednesday’s night victory.
The Lady Lions have faced a season of ups and downs. Their non-conference slate saw the team sitting at a 3-7 record before conference play had even started. In the end, the Lady Lions finished with a 4-8 non-conference record with wins over Chatham University, Moravian College, Penn State Harrisburg and Waynesburg University.
“Well, it’s kind of planned every year to start the year off with very hard teams so that we get that experience early to help prepare us for conference play,” said Petermen when asked about the team’s slow start to the season.
The experience definitely did help this team as the second half of the season saw a complete turn around as the Lady Lions went 7-3 in conference play. The Lady Lions took full advantage of home court, winning all but one of their six home games on the season. The team’s late run of success, especially the six-game win streak towards the end of the season, propelled the Nittany Lions’ home-court advantage and the No. 4 seed in this year’s AMCC tournament. If not for a penultimate day loss to Pitt-Bradford, the Lady Lions could’ve been looking at a higher seed and a first-round bye.
The Lady Lions this year have been propped up by a young core of freshmen and the leadership of only two seniors. Emily Bryan (Waynesboro, Pa.) and Lauren Diller (Chambersburg, Pa.) are the only seniors that have been tasked with leading this young core into the season. Alison Abrashoff (Dillsburg, Pa.), Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, Pa.), Tara Ryan (Waldwick, N.J.), Kristian Wineland (Altoona), and MacKenzie Reed (Duncansville, Pa.) are the only returning players to this squad outside of Bryan and Diller.
Outside of the seven of them, nine freshmen occupy the remaining roster.
“A lot of these freshmen have played for some of the best club teams across the state of Pennsylvania,” said Peterman. “They had no trouble coming in, stepping on the court, and made an immediate impact on this team.”
That was evident on Wednesday night as multiple freshmen, especially Sara Russo (Lebanon, Pa.), Jenna Bauer (Ebensburg, Pa.), Lydia Mock (Alum Bank, Pa.), and Lexie Dorcon (Berlin, Pa.), all played big minutes in the Lady Lion’s victory over Franciscan.
“This is by far the best team I’ve ever coached just because of how much fun they have,” said Peterman.
It was on full display in Adler Gym on Wednesday night as the Lady Lions were high energy in pre-game warm-ups and stayed high energy till the final point of the match.
The Lady Lions will now travel to Penn State Behrend to face a tough Behrend team who went a perfect 10-0 in conference play. The quest for an AMCC crown continues on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. A victory on Saturday will propel the Lady Lions into the AMCC championship game and a chance for the school’s third conference title and a shot at an appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament. Let’s get out there and support our Lady Lions as they make a run for school history. WE ARE!