Women's Volleyball 11/3/2023 12:00:00 AM

Abington to Host St. Mary’s in United East Divisional Quarterfinal

Abington, Pa. – The Penn State Abington women's volleyball team will be hosting its first postseason match since 2019 when the number three Nittany Lions welcome sixth-seeded St. Mary's College (Md.) to the Abington Athletic Building for the United East Conference (UEC) Volt Division quarterfinal match on Saturday. First serve is set for 4 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early and don all white for a 'White Out' match in support of the women's volleyball team. Those that can't make it out to the match can catch all the action online through the live web stream and live stats platform. Click here to access.

About Penn State Abington (12-14, 3-3 UEC)
The Nittany Lions won their final three United East matches, two of which were on the road, to finish 3-3 in conference play and clinch the third seed. Abington trailed Penn College, 2-1, back on Oct. 21 and rallied to defeat the Wildcats in five sets. The win propelled the Nittany Lions to another come-from-behind victory against Penn State Berks on Oct. 25. Abington dropped the first set before winning the next three against Berks. Finally, the Nittany Lions sealed the deal with a 3-1 victory at Penn State Harrisburg last Saturday to officially earn the third seed and home postseason match.

Offensively, the Nittany Lions have two players averaging over 2.0 kills per set. Freshman Jayla Hickey is averaging a team-best 2.56 kills per set after totaling 218 through the regular season. Sophomore Brianna Brozo is averaging a career-high 2.35 kills per set with 197 kills. Pacing the offense is sophomore setter Laine Kulpinski who is averaging close to seven assists per set. Kulpinski will enter Saturday's match two assists shy of 1,000 for her career. She'll become just the third player in program history to reach the 1,000-assist milestone.

On the defensive side, sophomore libero Morgan Schaefer is averaging a career-high 3.87 digs per set which ranks 10^th best in the United East this season. Sophomore Sara Schrader is averaging 2.21 digs per set which is a new career-high. Up front, Hickey has totaled a team-best 44 blocks this season, including 14 solo and 30 assisted. Freshman Brynn Atkins has 35 total blocks (11BS/24BA), while sophomore Alyssa Flickinger set a new career-high with 27 blocks (6BS/21BA).

About St. Mary's (11-15, 2-4 UEC)
The Seahawks clinched the sixth and final postseason spot in the Volt Division with a 3-1 victory at Penn College this past Saturday in the regular season finale. St. Mary's is making its first-ever appearance in the United East Tournament. The Seahawks are led by Meghan Stevens who leads the team in kills with 2.74 per set. The duo setters of Lauren Panageotou and Alayna Sievert both are averaging over 3.0 assists per set. Defensively, Julia Bobrowski and Stevens are totaling just over 3.0 digs per set.

All-Time Series
Abington and St. Mary's have only met three times in the short history between the two schools. The Seahawks have won all three matches, including this year's match down in St. Mary's City, Md.

Abington in the Postseason
The Nittany Lions are making their fourth-ever postseason appearance and first since 2019 when the team advance to the then NEAC Championship match. Abington is 2-3 all-time in the NEA/United East Tournament.

Championship Gear
The United East Championship store is open! Fans can visit the online store and purchase their Women's Volleyball Championship gear now until November 18. The shops will include two options, including a white tee-shirt with the Championship logo as well as a white crew neck sweatshirt with a United East Champions logo. Each style will showcase either the "championship" logo as well as a "champions" logo. Please note, the Championship items are only available online and will not be available at the site of the Championship. To access the online store, click here.

Next Up
The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal will advance to the Volt Division semifinals. An Abington victory will send the Nittany Lions to second-seeded Lancaster Bible College on Tuesday, whereas a win for St. Mary's will have the Seahawks headed to Washington, D.C. to face top-seeded Gallaudet University.

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Players Mentioned

#16 Brianna Brozo: MB/OH; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#21 Alyssa Flickinger: MB/OH; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#18 Laine Kulpinski: S; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#19 Morgan Schaefer: DS/L; 5' 4"; Sophomore

#11 Sara Schrader: DS/L; 5' 4"; Sophomore

#8 Brynn Atkins: MB/OH; 5' 11"; Freshman

#22 Jayla Hickey: OH/MB; 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#16 Brianna Brozo
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: MB/OH

#21 Alyssa Flickinger
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: MB/OH

#18 Laine Kulpinski
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: S

#19 Morgan Schaefer
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: DS/L

#11 Sara Schrader
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: DS/L

#8 Brynn Atkins
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: MB/OH

#22 Jayla Hickey
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: OH/MB