While still searching for more consistent play, the Golden Eagles scored a pair of wins in a tri match at Penn State DuBois on Saturday. In the sweep, the navy and gold took out the defending USCAA National Champions before downing the hosts as well.
The opening set against Mont Alto---2022's best of the USCAA with a 26-6 record and a national title---established the tone for the match as the two teams fought through 12 ties and 10 lead changes before the Eagles won 26-24. The Eagles only led five times, with their largest lead coming at 20-18. With the score standing at 24-24, the stalemate was ended when KSU Tusc scored the last two points of the set to win 26-24.
It was as painfully close in the second set with the Eagles earning a hard fought 29-27 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match. You can never count out champions however, and the Lions roared back to tie the match at 2-2 by winning the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-22, 25-21 forcing a fifth set tiebreaker.
True to the temperature of the match, the tie breaker was a back-and-forth affair as well, but the Eagles finally broke free when leading the deciding set by a score of 13-12. They scored the final two points to wrap up the victory on a ball tipped at the net by Mont Alto went out of bounds and a Makenzie Ailes spike for a final exclamation point in the 15-12 win.
In the final match of the day, the Eagles soared past the PSU DuBois winning in a three-set sweep. It was their fifth three-set win on the season and once again they set the tone of the match early.
KSU Tusc won the first set handily with a 25-8 win and followed that up with 25-17, 25-15 victories. In the second set the Eagles took an early 5-0 advantage and later led 12-5 before DuBois tallied six straight points of their own to draw to within 14-11. The victors got things in hand limited the hosts to just three points while scoring 11 of their own for the win.
In the final set the Eagles tired a bit and found themselves down 13-8, but they woke up and scored nine straight points for a 17-13 lead. Deja vu struck and KSU Tusc stymied the Lions by allowing them just two final points as they took flight on an 8-2 run to record the win. The Eagles scored the final seven points of the set highlighted by three consecutive service aces by Cayla Shrimplin and a match point kill to the left corner by Lizzy Keller.
The Golden Eagles (7-1) host a tri match on Saturday, September 16 and play Penn State New Kensington at 11 a.m. and Cincinnati Clermont at 3 p.m.
Kylie Culbertson sets Alivia Spauling, and Alivia and Nicole Simons talk strategy on the sideline.
Makenzie Ailes moves in for a kill as Kylie Culbertson provides backup.
(Photos by Rob Brindley)