The Penn State Mont Alto Women's Volleyball team competed in the PSUAC semi-finals and finals October 31 and November 1 to earn their ticket to the USCAA National Championships. It started on Saturday with a win over Penn State Beaver (3-2). While the Mont Alto women had a rough start, losing the first set 11-25, they began to take charge and build momentum. The team came out of the huddle to start the second set and drove Beaver to their first timeout of the day before putting them down with a 25-22 win. Mont Alto dropped the third set 18-25. The intensity changed in fourth and fifth sets when Mont Alto dominated to win the fourth 25-11. The fifth and deciding set was clutch for Mont Alto as they continued to thrive on balanced offense and outlasted Beaver 15-11, sending Beaver home from the tournament. That win sent Mont Alto to face off with Penn State Fayette in the PSUAC championship game for the second year in a row.
In the title game on Sunday, November 1, Fayette came out with a more balanced and much more mobile defense. Mont Alto found themselves lacking the confidence they needed in the first set. With three straight losses, the day was over almost as quickly as it began, though the team did find moments of glory. Mont Alto was able to take the lead several times but just could not keep Fayette from coming back. "Fayette did not have an answer for the fast tempo, balanced offense that Mont Alto could deliver. But unfortunately, we did not move to pass the ball and this allowed Fayette to come back with a 9-point run and take the lead back from us," explained Coach Drue Hoffman. "The third set found a back-and-forth, give-and-take kind of workout from which Fayette was able to string together a few more points off our unforced errors." This is the second year in a row that Mont Alto fell short to Fayette in the PSUAC finals.
Although it was a tough loss, Mont Alto is looking forward being successful in the USCAA National Championships to be hosted by Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky on November 5-7 at the Mid America Sports Center. Mont Alto, the 9th seed overall will face No. 1 seed and host Spalding University in the first match. This is the first appearance the Mont Alto Women's Volleyball team has made at the national level. The team is prepared and looks forward to a victorious experience as they will be tested against other competitive teams from all over the United States. Mont Alto is guaranteed four games and may continue on depending on how well they compete in the pool play. For more information, schedules and updates:
The USCAA National Volleyball Tournament schedule and updates
Weekend Statistics
Scores: Mont Alto 3 -- Beaver 2
11-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-11, 15-11
Leading Stats from Saturday 10/31
Lora Wenger (Chambersburg '09): 2 Aces, 11 Kills, 3 Digs
Liz Wyatt (Fairfield '08): 6 Kills, 5 Blocks, 2 Digs
Sara Replogle (Carlisle '06): 2 Aces, 4 Kills, 1 Block, 6 Digs
Jenn Stremmel (South Western '08): 1 Ace, 9 Kills, 1 Block, 10 Digs, 23 Assists
Alyssa Politi (Freedom '08): 2 Aces, 8 Kills, 1 Block, 8 Digs, 5 Assists
Faith Adams (Redan '09): 5 Kills, 1 Block 1 Dig, 1 Assist
Sarah Mobley (South Western '09): 6 Aces, 10 Digs
Scores: Fayette 3, Mont Alto 0
25-12, 25-21, 25-20
Weekend Stats Leaders:
Lora Wenger (Chambersburg '09): 2 Aces, 13 Kills, 1 Block & 7 Digs
Celena Woodal (Southern Fulton '08): 2 Aces, 8 Digs
Liz Wyatt (Fairfield '08): 12 Kills, 6 Blocks, 6 Digs
Sara Replogle (Carlisle '06): 2 Aces, 8 Kills, 2 Blocks, 9 Digs
Jenn Stremmel (South Western '08): 1 Ace, 12 Kills, 1 Block, 20 Digs, 36 Assists
Alyssa Politi (Freedom '08): 2 Aces, 10 Kills, 1 Block, 12 Digs, 5 Assists
Faith Adams (Redan '09): 7 Kills, 3 Blocks, 9 Digs, 1 Assist
Sarah Mobley (South Western '09): 7 Aces, 1 Kills, 23 Digs
