Notre Dame of Maryland 3, Penn State Mont Alto 2 (27-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-25, 17-19)

After seizing momentum on Wednesday evening during non-conference action, Mont Alto saw their 2-0 advantage slip away after dropping the next two sets.

During the first set, Mont Alto faced a 15-9 deficit and later battled back to tie the set at 19-19. The back and forth affair continued as both teams were notted up at 24-24. With the score 25-25, Mont Alto capitalized on an attack error with a clinching kill from Gracie Vaughn that was set up from Kylie Denlinger.

With a 12-12 tie midway through the second set, Mont Alto won 13 of the next twenty points to take early control of the match with a set two final of 25-17. Set two was Mont Alto's best hitting set as they had 12 kills on 30 attempts even though Notre Dame was 12 of 29 for the set.

Notre Dame would dominate the next two sets, totaling 26 kills to Mont Alto's 16. Notre Dame took a 25-15 fourth set to set up a fifth and decisive set between the non-conference foes.

Mont Alto trailed by three early with the score 8-5 in the fifth set. Brooke Denlinger would help Mont Alto crawl back once again to take the next five points after a Leslie Huckle kill pushed Mont Alto up 10-8.

With the score 12-12, neither team would score back-to-back points for the next seven rallies until Notre Dame flipped a 16-15 Mont Alto lead into a 17-16 lead of their own. Gracie Vaughn would tie things with a kill at 17-17. A Notre Dame kill from Miasia Ferrer and a block from Gabbi Taganas and Ciarra Bockstie sealed the comeback as Notre Dame took the fifth set by a final of 19-17.

After a quiet first two sets, Notre Dame's Miasia Ferrer was unstoppable as she posted 25 kills on 49 attacks for a .347 hitting percentage. 

Gracie Vaughn led Mont Alto in kills with a team-leading 18, Leslie Huckle was second on the team with 13.

Up Next: Mont Alto hosts Mid-Atlantic Christian on Friday evening for a 7pm start