MORRISTOWN, N.J. – The Penn State Abington women's volleyball team won in dramatic fashion in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) play Wednesday night, taking a 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 18-25, 16-14) final over College of St. Elizabeth (10-3, 2-2 NEAC) in the closest match of the year for either team.
Up two sets over the Screaming Eagles of St. Elizabeth, CSE rallied to win the third and fourth sets and fought back to tie the fifth set. But the Lady Lions (9-3, 3-1 NEAC) pushed through for the final two points with a crucial NEAC win, 3-2 in the two-hour match.
Abington managed to jump ahead two sets to none in the opening round, looking for an easy win. However, the Screaming Eagles refused to roll over and opened a 10-5 lead before taking the 25-20 decision.
The strong play continued throughout the fourth set, putting down three consecutive kills to set up a 5-2 set lead. Two service rotations later, CSE combined for a block and a kill and opened up a 11-4 advantage which eventually led to the 25-18 win for the Screaming Eagles.
In the final set, the Lady Lions dug in their heels and took a 4-2 lead. CSE managed to even up the score before Abington got into its strongest rotation midway through the set and ran off three consecutive kills to take a 13-8 lead. But a pair of hitting errors brought CSE closer and several kills later the Screaming Eagles clawed their way back to make it even at 14 points apiece. Abington pushed forward for the final two points and the crucial NEAC win.
Abby Millan finished the match with 19 kills and 17 digs, her fifth double-double of the season.
Johangelie Thomas added her 10 kills and eight assists, while teammate
Kate Schalck contributed 12 kills, three blocks, and three aces.
Senior
Krysten Boyd directed the defense with 22 digs and added a career-best four aces. Freshman
Leah Brown also added a game-best three aces in the win.
The Lady Lions will play host in a four team quad-match on Saturday against Rutgers-Camden, Arcadia University, and York College (N.Y.). The first match is slated for 10 a.m.
Stay tuned in to abingtonsports.com for all the news and highlights of the Penn State Abington women's volleyball squad.
