Defending Champ Mont Alto Leads Pack of Four in Volleyball Semifinals
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Rec Hall awaits.
Four teams will vie for the 2023 PSUAC Volleyball Championship on Monday, October 30th and Tuesday, October 31st in the hallowed arena on the University Park campus. The intradivisional quarterfinals have cut the playoff participants in half, as the semifinals will see divisional crossover play begin. Defending champions Penn State Mont Alto and defending runners-up Penn State York are joined by longtime powerhouse Penn State Fayette and the upstart Penn State Hazleton squad in the semifinals.
The PSUAC Volleyball Final Four has a tremendous history in Rec Hall, with some outstanding matches leading to eventual champions. No different is expected this year as the top two seeds in each division have advanced and will square off for the right to be crowned champions and earn the PSUAC's automatic berth into the USCAA Volleyball National Championship Tournament.
Mont Alto, the reigning champs and the West's no. 1 seed, returns to the semifinals for the third straight year and looks to repeat their performance from last year, but will face a challenge from Hazleton, the no. 2 seed from the East. York is once again the East's no. 1 seed and will meet West no. 2 seed Penn State Fayette in what is expected to be a thriller.
York's season in 2022 was one of its best ever as it finished as the runners up in both the PSUAC and USCAA. However, York has never won a PSUAC Volleyball crown. Mont Alto's win in 2022 was its first since 2003, and they followed up the achievement with a USCAA national title 10 days later. Hazleton has also never won a PSUAC championship in volleyball, but their opponents are no stranger to the trophy. Fayette has won 12 championships since 2005, but none since 2019.
The semifinal round will begin on Monday, October 30th at Rec Hall at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The championship game is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31st at Rec Hall. Games will be streamed live on the PSU Campus Athletics Network at the link below, or the app!
Championship Page
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Semifinal #1
East #2 Seed Penn State Hazleton (13-6 overall, 9-3 PSUAC) vs. West #1 Seed Penn State Mont Alto (20-8 overall, 12-0 PSUAC)
Monday, October 30th, 5 p.m.
Mont Alto looks to build the momentum it started coming out of the pandemic. The top seed from the West Division in each of the past three seasons, Mont Alto was stunned in the semifinals in 2021 by Penn State Schuylkill. The team rebounded and captured not only the PSUAC title in 2022, but also took home the USCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship just over a week later. Its follow-up? Another perfect PSUAC record. Led by Gracie Vaughn, who leads the PSUAC in kills, kills per set and hitting percentage, Mont Alto will look to repeat its double-dip of championships once again. Vaughn is joined by Brooke and Kylie Denlinger as strong contributors returning from that 2022 squad, as Brooke leads the PSUAC with 452 digs and Kylie is the leader in assists per set with 9.51.
At the net, Vaughn will be up against Hazleton's Sydney Mack, who finished second in kills per set in the PSUAC and third in kills. Sophia Del Vacchio is also second in the PSUAC in assists per set, and a balanced attack for Hazleton has been its greatest strength this season with three different players averaging more than 1.5 kills per set. The four remaining teams finished as the top three hitting teams in the league, with Hazleton finishing third in hitting percentage. This is Hazleton's first trip to the semifinals since 2018.
Semifinal #2
West #2 Seed Penn State Fayette (14-8 overall, 10-2 PSUAC) vs. East #1 Seed Penn State York (21-4 overall, 12-0 PSUAC)
Monday, October 30th, 7 p.m.
Monday's closing match will feature an intriguing match-up between the old guard in the PSUAC and a relative newcomer to the top of the conference. Fayette has long been a dominant player in PSUAC volleyball, while York's recent revival has catapulted it to the top of the East Division in each of the last three seasons. It will be the first match-up between the programs since 2017, the last year before divisional realignment.
York will feature 2022 East Division Player of the Year Jess Dunbar (second in kills, third in kills per set), as well as libero Jayda Simmons who was second in the PSUAC with 5.14 digs per set. York's setter, Hannah Knight, is also a service specialist who finished second in the conference in service aces per set. On the opposite side of the net will be Fayette's Pasepa Driso-Buwawa and Kamden Miller, each of whom finished in the top eight in kills per set in the PSUAC. Fayette's specialist in Tyannah Eddings at libero and Emma Eckert at setter are also heavy contributors to Fayette's success.
CHAMPIONSHIP FAN INFORMATION (REC HALL)
- Masking for spectators is optional.
- Doors will open one hour prior to the first scheduled match of the evening. Fans should enter Rec Hall at the main entrance near the corner of Burrowes Rd. and Curtin Rd (center doors at top of steps)
- ADA accessible doors are available on the North side of Rec Hall (closest to the Nittany Lion statue)
- Parking is available in the Nittany Parking Deck, which is located adjacent to the Nittany Lion Inn on Fischer Rd., approximately 100 yards from Rec Hall.
- Concessions will be available in Rec Hall. No outside food or drink is permitted.*
- Penn State's bag policy will be in full effect. Please review the bag policy here: BAG POLICY
- Fans will be restricted to the upper level of Rec Hall (and the base of the stairs for vending machines). Access to the main floor will only be granted to participants and staff.
- CHAMPIONSHIP PARKING
- Fans are encouraged to use either the Nittany Parking Deck or West Parking Deck, both of which are within a short walking distance to Rec Hall. Each deck charges parking by the hour. Details, including maps, are available on the link above.