Roaring Lions Bounced from USCAA Tourney

November 11, 2011

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The no. 3 Penn State Fayette women's volleyball team dropped their final match of pool play on Friday, falling to no. 5 Southern Virginia, 2-1 (25-23, 15-25, 11-15). The loss created a tie between Fayette, Lindenwood Belleville and Robert Morris Springfield.

The loss forced a one game playoff with Lindenwood, as Springfield claimed the third seed in Pool 1 by earning the most percentage points among the three teams. In a battle that saw the teams go back and forth, Fayette fell 26-24 to Lindenwood, a team the Roaring Lions defeated on Thursday.

Against Southern Virginia, Fayette was led by junior Leah Ambrosini (Connellsville, Pa.) with 10 kills, as freshman Samantha Helmantoler (Monongahela, Pa.) added six. Senior Katie Sleasman had 22 assists for Fayette, but it wasn't enough as Southern Virginia battled back to take sets two and three.

Fayette jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in set one, as Ambrosini notched three kills during the run. After two Knight points, Fayette went on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 11-3. After rallying for two more points, Southern Virginia succumbed to another Ambrosini kill, as Fayette took six of the next seven points for a 17-6 lead. But Southern Virginia would not go quietly, earning 13 of the next 17 points to pull within 21-19. Freshman Janelle Cooper (Mount Braddock, Pa.) added a kill to make it 22-19, and despite allowing Southern Virginia to take four of the next six points, the Roaring Lions held on for a 25-23 win.

Fayette jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in set two, as Ambrosini added two more kills. But the Knights came back to take a 7-6 lead after three Fayette attack errors. The teams traded points until Fayette took an 11-10 advantage. It is the last time Fayette would lead, as Southern Virginia strung nine straight points together for a 19-11 lead. Fayette battled for points, as Cooper and sophomore Caitlin Fidel (Perryopolis, Pa.) added kills and Sleasman notched Fayette's only ace of the match. But the deficit was too much, and the Knights tied the match at 1-1, with a decisive 25-15 win in set two.

Set three saw Southern Virginia jump out to an early 6-1 lead, as Fayette could only muster an Ambrosini kill. In the race to 15, the Roaring Lions battled back to 7-4 as Ambrosini added another kill. But three more consecutive Knight points made it 10-4, and despite a Helmantoler kill that made it 10-6, Southern Virginia pulled away to make it 12-6. After two more Helmantoler kills brought Fayette within three at 12-9, the Knights would take three of the final five points to take the set, and the match, 15-11.

A quick turnaround saw Fayette meet Lindenwood Belleville in a one set playoff. The set saw the teams exchange points on several occasions, and included 12 ties and 10 lead changes. However, Lindenwood advanced on the strength of a Fayette service error and a block that gave the Lynx a 26-24 edge.

The Roaring Lions finish the season at 27-9, 16-0 in the PSUAC.