Posted: Oct 25, 2024

Volleyball Final Four Preview: Who Will Emerge Victorious?

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 2024 PSUAC Volleyball Championship tournament has reached the semifinals. With four teams remaining, we head to Recreation Hall on Penn State's University Park campus on Monday and Tuesday for the final three matches of the event.

The quarterfinals played out as expected, at least when considering the seeds after the regular season. Both of the top seeds, Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Fayette, remain after sweeping their opponents 3-0 in the quarterfinals. They'll be joined by the two-seeds from each division, as Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State Shenango emerged victorious in their first round match-ups.

The semifinal matches are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Rec Hall on Monday, October 28th, with the championship slated for Tuesday, October 29th at 6 p.m. in Rec Hall.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Hazleton and Fayette each finished the regular season 9-1, with their only blemishes coming to their division's respective two-seed. Hazleton dominated the East, including a season series split with Mont Alto, the two-time defending PSUAC and USCAA Champions. Fayette wobbled in late September with a loss to Shenango, but bounced back to win their next seven against PSUAC competition and grab the top seed with a two-game cushion. Hazleton dispatched Penn State Schuylkill in the quarterfinals, while Fayette took care of Penn State New Kensington to advance to the PSUAC Semifinals.

Mont Alto had its ups and downs, including its losses to Hazleton and York each coming on its home court. But the defending champs bounced back in a big way with a four-set win over York at home in the PSUAC Quarterfinals. The surprise of the season was Penn State Shenango--picked to finish last in the West after the preseason coaches poll, head coach Andrew Frank built a winner as his team went 7-3 in PSUAC play, including their upset of Fayette in September. Shenango split the season series with Fayette as well as with Penn State Greater Allegheny. And much like the two regular season match-ups with Greater Allegheny, Shenango needed five sets in the quarterfinals to advance in arguably the best match of the tournament so far.

CHAMPIONSHIP CREDENTIALS

Mont Alto entered the 2024 season as the reigning PSUAC Champions. They also captured the 2022 and 2023 USCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship titles and were a favorite for many at the beginning of the year to three-peat. Standing in their way is another team with plenty of championship experience, albeit none in the last five seasons. Prior to 2020, Fayette dominated the PSUAC Volleyball scene, winning 12 titles between 2005 and 2019. They capped their historic run with a USCAA title of their own in 2019, the first ever USCAA Volleyball champion from the PSUAC.

Neither Hazleton nor Shenango has won a PSUAC Volleyball title. Shenango's drought has been much shorter, with its program being in existence for fewer than six seasons. Each of them will look to change that and punch their ticket to the next round after Monday's semifinals.

WHO TO WATCH

By now, everyone is familiar with the players who have lifted their teams to this point. Shenango's Cyra Cross, recently named the PSUAC West Division Player and Rookie of the Year, leads her team into the postseason for the first time. Her East counterpart as Player of the Year, Sydney Mack, is joined by a host of talented hitters who are all set-up by the East Division's first team setter, Sophia Del Vacchio. Hazleton also boasts the East Division Specialist of the Year in Nora Jones, who excels as a defensive specialist.

Gracie Vaugn, a former PSUAC Player of the Year, leads Mont Alto's attack. She and teammate Leslie Huckle capped their quarterfinal win by alternating kills for the final four points and the win. Mont Alto's Zoey McCormack, Ashlyn Vandenbree and Katie Sinks share duties as setters and/or defensive specialists to help set-up their powerful front-line.

Cross is joined by standout hitter Kylee Loreno and Sydney Ward, both All-Conference selections. Also out west, Fayette is led by All-Conference hitters Adela Blough and Amiah DeShields who were both named to the West's First Team. Fayette is not lacking in the specialist department either, as Emma Eckert (setter) and Tyannah Eddings (libero) provide consistency for a team looking to get back to their championship heritage.

WHAT'S NEXT

The PSUAC Volleyball postseason includes eight teams, including four from each division. Play begins with intra-divisional match-ups in the quartefinals before crossing over in the semifinals, which is re-seeded based upon outcomes. The highest remaining seed in the East, Hazleton, meets the lowest remaining seed in the West, Shenango. Fayette, the highest remaining Western seed, will play the lowest remaining East seed, Mont Alto. The winners of Monday's two semifinal matches meet in the championship match on Tuesday.

The winner of the PSUAC Volleyball Championship match receives the conference's automatic bid into the 2024 United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Volleyball National Championship tournament, scheduled for November 7-9 at Penn State Fayette's Community Center.

HOW TO FOLLOW AND WATCH

Fans can attend the action live at Rec Hall--there is no admission charge for the event. Fans can also watch the games live and archived on the PSU Campus Athletics Network by downloading our app on their phone, tablet, or smart device (including TVs and streaming sticks) or by watching online at www.psucampusathletics.com. Search "PSU Campus Athletics Network" to find us!

FAN INFORMATION

For more details surrounding your trip to State College and the University Park campus, please check out our fan information page linked below and also available on our Championship page linked at the top.