The Penn State Behrend volleyball team captured the 2008 ECAC
Division III South Volleyball Championship, taking the title after
a come-from-behind 3-2 win over runner-up Cabrini College on
November 16 in Stevenson, Maryland. Behrend (25-9) dropped a
tight first game 24-26, before bouncing back for a 25-21 win in the
second. Cabrini (22-14) answered with a 25-21 win of its own
in the third game before Behrend took the fourth 25-19 to set up
the winner-take-all fifth game. The deciding game was tied
8-8 before the blue and white exploded for a 7-1 run to close it
out, clinching the title with a 15-9 win and starting the
celebration.
Senior defensive specialist Brittany Hennessy (Hopewell/Hopewell)
closed out her career by racking up a match-high 30 digs in the
championship match. Hennessy, Behrend's all-time leader in
digs with 2,160 in her career, was awarded the ECAC Most
Outstanding Player award for the tournament. Junior Brooke
Gallentine (Mt. Pleasant/Southmoreland) dished out a season-high 51
assists, to go with ten digs and three aces, with a big ace at the
end of game five.
Freshman Lauren Dalton (Cochranton/Cochranton) hammered 15 kills in
the match, including four winners in the fifth game. Junior
hitters Carissa Johnston (Cambridge Springs/Cambridge Springs) and
Sheila Ogden (Grove City/Grove City) were a big part of the offense
as Johnston had 12 kills and Ogden had 11 kills in the final.
Sophomore Danielle Woods (Pittsburgh/Baldwin) played huge down the
stretch and totaled ten kills with 17 digs against the
Cavaliers. Freshmen Liz Emerick (Hopewell/Hopewell) and
Stefanie Kelley (Moon Township/Moon) came through with key plays
and combined for 23 digs and six aces.
One day earlier, in the ECAC semifinal match on November 15, #3
seed Behrend cruised past #2 seed Widener 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-18)
hitting .270 as a team. Freshman Danielle Kindle
(Erie/McDowell) smashed eight kills on 16 attempts with zero errors
and also tallied five blocks. Johnston had ten kills to go
with six blocks of her own, while Hennessy finished with 23
digs. Freshman Kait Bianco (Aliquippa/Center) smacked five
kills on ten attempts in the win over Widener (26-10).
In the second semifinal #4 seed Cabrini College upset host and #1
seed Stevenson University with a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) to
set up the championship contest with the Behrend Lions.
The ECAC volleyball championship is the first for the Penn State
Behrend volleyball program, and this was the team's second ever
tournament appearance. In 2006, the blue and white won a
school-record 29 matches and went 2-1 in the ECAC South
Championship to finish as the runners-up.
November 17, 2008
Hennessy Named Enterprise RENT-A-CAR Athlete of the Week
November 16, 2008
Penn State Behrend Wins 2008 ECAC South Volleyball Championship
November 12, 2008
Behrend Advances to ECAC Semifinals with 3-2 Win Over W&J
November 11, 2008
Five Behrend Lions Earn Volleyball All-Conference Honors
November 10, 2008
Volleyball Advances to Postseason With Bid to ECAC Tournament
November 8, 2008
Behrend Falls in AMCC Championships to Frostburg State
November 7, 2008
Behrend Advances to 2008 AMCC Finals After 3-0 Win Over Bradford
November 6, 2008
Penn State Behrend Volleyball Set to Host 2008 AMCC Tournament
October 29, 2008
Behrend Lions Clinch #1 Seed for AMCC Tournament With 3-1 Win
October 27, 2008
Johnston Named the ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR Athlete of the Week
October 18, 2008
Behrend Volleyball Takes Command of the AMCC With 3-1 Win Over FSU
October 9, 2008
Q & A with Penn State Behrend Volleyball Coach Phil Pisano
October 7, 2008
Penn State Behrend Stays on Top of AMCC with Win Over Franciscan
September 30, 2008
Penn State Behrend Falls to Fredonia State 3-0
September 30, 2008
Penn State Behrend Women's Volleyball Match to be Televised
September 29, 2008
Behrend's Ogden Tabbed AMCC Volleyball Player of the Week
September 27, 2008
Volleyball Opens 2008 AMCC Season With 3-1 Win Over La Roche
September 6, 2008
Behrend Lions Volleyball Finishes 3-1 in Behrend Invitational
September 5, 2008
Behrend Lions Volleyball Goes 1-1 in Behrend Invitational
September 4, 2008
Penn State Behrend Lions Set To Host Behrend Volleyball Invitational
September 3, 2008
Volleyball's Gallentine Named Behrend Athlete of the Week
August 27, 2008
Behrend Volleyball 2008 Season Preview