Volleyball Faces Mont Alto with Eyes on First Place
The PSUGA Volleyball team has their eyes set on first place when they take on PSU-Mont Alto Saturday at 2 p.m.
McKeesport, PA. – The Penn State Greater Allegheny Volleyball team (12-7, 5-2) will have their sites set on first place in the Penn State University Athletic Conference West Division when they take on Penn State Mont Alto (15-4, 6-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. A win would earn the women a tie for the top spot in the PSUAC West Division and set them up in prime playoff positioning with four conference games remaining.
They are coming off of a big 3-0 win against PSU-Shenango last time out that set up this big weekend match-up. PSUGA had three different players finish with six or more kills leading a dominant offensive attack. Alix Ellis (Derry, PA./Derry Area HS) led the way picking up nine kills on 19 total attacks while Kaylee Holtzman (McKeesport, PA./McKeesport HS) and Sueriah Timsah (Mesquite, TX./West Mesquite HS) added six kills each in the win.
Juliana Brill (Mount Jackson, VA./Stonewall Jackson HS) continued her strong season on the defensive side of the ball leading the way with 11 digs in the win. Brill is chasing history this season and enters Saturday’s game needing just 11 digs to set the single-season digs record at PSUGA. The record is currently held by former Lion Laura Vazquez Diaz, who had 247 digs during the 2014 season. Brill currently ranks fourth in PSUGA Volleyball history with 383 career digs in her first two seasons with the team.
For PSUGA, they are on the road to claiming their first playoff spot since the 2014 season when they made it to the PSUAC Elite Eight. PSUGA’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot sits at four entering play on Saturday afternoon, meaning any combination of four PSUGA wins or four losses by PSU-DuBois will guarantee PSUGA’s spot in the playoffs. However, the race to host a first-round playoff game is still in full swing as the season comes down to its final two weeks.
Standing in PSUGA’s way is the top team in the PSUAC West Division in PSU-Mont Alto. They enter Saturday’s game having won each of their last six games and their last seven straight sets. They defeated Penn State New Kensington last time out 3-0 as Kylie Gooding led the way with nine kills on 39 total attacks.
Previous Match-ups
In 12 previous match-ups with PSU-Mont Alto, PSUGA holds a record of 2-10, including an 0-2 record this season. Their last game came on September 14th when PSU-Mont Alto picked up a 3-0 win at Shippensburg University. Ellis led the way in the game with 14 kills on 29 total attacks in the loss.
Tip-off for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Wunderley Gym. You can watch the game live at bit.ly/PSUGAYT or follow along with live stats by clicking here.