Women's Volleyball Defeats St. Vincent; Falls to Westminster in Northwest PA Challenge Tournament

ERIE, Pa. – Paige Scurpa (Sharpsville, PA/Sharpsville) recorded a double-double with a game-high 15 kills and 12 digs to lead Penn State Behrend women's volleyball past St. Vincent 3-1 in the first match of the Northwest PA Challenge Tournament.

The Lions (3-4) defeated the Bearcats (3-3) 16-25, 25-14, 25-17 and 25-21. Behrend fell to Westminster in the second match, 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-14). 

Rachel Frye (Leechburg, PA/Kiski Area) and Amanda Henry (Bridgeville, PA/South Fayette) each tallied 15 kills combined for both matches, while Hannah Saunders (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward) had 38 assists and 14 digs.

Despite falling in the first set 25-16, the Lions bounced back to win the next three sets to down St. Vincent in the opening match. In the second set, Behrend went from having a 9-5 lead to a commanding 21-9 advantage behind three kills from Scurpa and one from Frye. Four more kills and a .600 hitting percentage sealed the second set 25-14 to even the match.

The third set was much like the second for the Lions. Behrend jumped out to a 9-4 lead and kept at least a five-point edge throughout the set. At 22-13, Henry tallied a pair of kills and the Lions relied on two errors to go ahead 2-1 with a 25-17 win.

In a much closer fourth set, St. Vincent held a one-point lead until Scurpa knocked in back-to-back kills to give Behrend a 19-18 advantage. The Bearcats won the next point to knot it at 19-all but Scurpa and Henry each got a kills and Saunders won the match with a service ace at 25-21.

Meredith Snyder (Parker, PA/Allegheny Clarion Valley) recorded 14 digs and Lexi Irwin (Greensburg, PA/Hempfield) contributed 11 assists and nine digs against St. Vincent.

In the final match of the night, the Titans held off the Lions in the first set 25-21 and then pulled away in the second and third sets for their second win of the tournament. Frye tallied eight kills with just one error and Saunders posted 11 assists, eight digs and six kills.

Behrend returns to action tomorrow against Thiel and Morrisville State. Matches are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.