ERIE, Pa. – The Allegheny volleyball team collected its first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Penn State Behrend in non-conference action on Tuesday night.
The Gators (1-4) spoiled the Lions (2-3) home opener thanks to Jordan Leopold's double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs. Madie Hudac dished out 33 assists, while Saige Foster made nine blocks.
Mary Sperry led Behrend with 14 kills and Kelly Treser added 11 kills and a game-high 10 blocks. Carly Higham had 32 assists on the night and Danielle Woods recorded 21 digs.
Allegheny and Behrend traded the first two games. The Gators recorded an easy 25-14 win, before Behrend battled back to even the score with a 25-21 victory in game two. Sperry came to life for the Lions in the second game, knocking down five kills including two for the final two points.
In game three, Behrend held the lead until the middle of the set when kills by Audra Batdorff and Caitlin Rothman put Allegheny up 15-13. The game was tied on two more occasions before the Gators went on a 7-2 run to go ahead 2-1 in the match. Saige Foster and Tito Aderemi-Ibitola each had a block and a kill in the final three points to help Allegheny secure the third game.
The Gators found themselves in the same predicament as game three. Down by six points at 15-9, a 9-3 run sparked hope for Allegheny, knotting the game at 18-all. Treser had a kill and a block to make it 21-18, but the Gators took advantage of a few Behrend errors to survive game point at 24-22. A block error and an ace by Hudac made it 24-all and a kill by Leopold gave Allegheny a chance at match point. Sperry's kill got it even once again, however Leopold closed out the match with a kill and an ace for the victory.
The Lions return to action on Friday against Carnegie Mellon in the first match of the Behrend Invitational, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
