Gooding Leads Volleyball To Sweep Over Greater Allegheny

Game Information

Score: Penn State Mont Alto 3, Penn State Greater Allegheny 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-14)

Team Records: Penn State Mont Alto (20-6, 10-2), Penn State Greater Allegheny (20-8, 9-3)

When: Thursday, November 11, 2021 11 a.m.

Where: Virginia Beach Field House

What: 2021 USCAA Women's Volleyball Championships

How It Happened

-Mont Alto jumped out to an early 7-4 lead in the first set on a kill by Kimmy Harker assisted by Rachel Manikowski. Greater Allegheny stormed back, taking five out of the following seven points to take an early 9-8 lead. The first set went back and forth until the score was knotted up at 16-16. Mont Alto scored the next four points of the set on kills from Caroline Blickley and Kylee Gooding. Mont Alto won set one by a score of 25-21.

-Set two was all Mont Alto from the start as they jumped out to an early 10-5 advantage. The early part of set two was marked by multiple hitting errors on Greater Allegheny, which Mont Alto was able to capitalize on the opportunity. A set of three kills by Kylee Gooding then gave Mont Alto that huge five point advantage. Leslie Huckle converted on back-to-back kills set up by Manikowski and Denlinger to race Mont Alto out to a 14-10 edge. Four kills by Gooding followed by a set point kill by Huckle won Mont Alto the second set. 

-Mistakes plagued Greater Allegheny in the third set also as Mont Alto raced out to a 7-1 lead in the third set. Two attack errors by Sueriah Timsah set the Mont Alto lead from 19-10 to 21-10 late in the third set. Leslie Huckle sent home an assist by Kylie Denlinger to give Mont Alto the rubber match against Greater Allegheny.

Game Notes

-The victory over Penn State Greater Allegheny gives Penn State Mont Alto the 2-1 season advantage. Greater Allegheny won the crossover match in late September in four sets before Mont Alto swept the second match at home in mid-October. 

-Greater Allegheny recently won the PSUAC Volleyball Championship and clinched an automatic bid to the tournament. Mont Alto received an at-large bid to this season's tournament.

-Mont Alto led in hitting percentage as a team with .162, Greater Allegheny had a team hitting percentage of .054. 

The Leaders

Penn State Mont Alto

-Kylee Gooding: 12 kills, 8 digs, 1 block assist

-Gracie Vaughn: 9 kills, 3 solo block

-Leslie Huckle: 7 kills

-Kylie Denlinger: 29 assists, 14 digs

-Rachel Manikowski: 14 digs, 3 assists

Penn State Greater Allegheny

-Bailey Lange: 8 kills, 7 assists, 9 digs

-Alix Ellis: 7 kills, 4 digs

-Sueriah Timsah: 4 kills

-Hannah Kessler: 13 digs, 2 assists

Up Next

The team will take on The King's College (NY) on Friday at 11 a.m... Live stream can be found at USCAAsportsnetwork.com. For the latest updates, be sure to follow us on Facebook at Penn State Mont Alto Athletics.