Lions Fall in Five Sets to Grove City

ERIE, Pa. – Natalja Galens had a double-double with 15 digs and 11 kills to lead Grove City past Penn State Behrend 3-2 in non-conference women's volleyball action on Tuesday night in the Junker Center.

After the Wolverines (8-6) won a close first set 25-22, the Lions (10-3) came back to win the second and third set 25-16 and 25-21 to go ahead 2-1 in the match.  Grove City managed to even the score at 2-all with a 25-17 fourth-set victory and then winning by three points in the decisive fifth game (15-12).

Lindsay Bean (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) led all attackers with 21 kills on 37 attempts to hit .459 for the match. Meredith Snyder added 13 kills and three blocks, while Amber Ricci (Pittsburgh, PA/Oakland Catholic) and Tory Storino (Pittsburgh, PA/Norwin) each tallied 13 digs.

In a match-up between regional rivals, the Wolverines had 11 kills with only committing two errors in the final game to edge the Lions.

In the second set, Behrend won the last eight out of 10 points to even the match at 1-all, before rallying from a three-point deficit early in set three to take a 2-1 lead. With the score tied at 19-all, Bean blasted a kill and Chelsea Magnusen (Plum, PA/Plum) recorded an ace for a two-point lead at 21-19. The Lions got kills from Paige Scurpa (Sharpsville, PA/Sharpsville) and Bean, while taking advantage of two Grove City errors for a 25-21 win.

The Wolverines did not give Behrend a chance to make it a close fourth set.

In the fifth game, Grove City only trailed at 3-2 but then turned the set around and won 15-12 thanks to three kills by Ashley Branch and two from Tierza Rangel.

Magnusen finished with 47 assists, nine digs and four aces for the Lions.

Behrend returns to action on Saturday against Franciscan at 10 a.m. and Penn State Altoona at 4 p.m.