Volleyball falls in home opener

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - Playing at home for the first time in the 2021 season, the Penn State New Kensington volleyball team came up short against Butler County Community College on Monday, falling in straight sets. The Pioneers captured the match 25-21, 25-17, and 25-15.

With the setback, Penn State New Kensington drops to 1-2 overall, while BCCC improves to 3-0.

The opening set started well for the host Lions, who scored the first three points and held a 10-4 lead. Although the Pioneers battled back to remain within striking distance, New Kensington gained a 22-19 advantage. The visitors rallied to score the final six points to capture the set, however.

In the second set, another six-point run put BCCC ahead 10-5, and the Pioneers never relinquished the lead, despite a late surge from New Kensington with Kayla Unger (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) on the service line.

Butler County Community College utilized a pair of 6-0 runs in the final set to seal the victory.  

In the defeat, freshman Kylie DiLeo (Springdale, Pa./Springdale) anchored the attack for the Lions, as she notched a team-best nine kills. Classmate Elliott Ferrent (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney) added five kills. Unger orchestrated the offense with 16 assists, while she added a pair of service aces. Junior libero Bethany Baney (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) paced the team with 15 digs, while DiLeo chipped in with 10 and Gabby Wolfkill (Mifflin, Pa./Mifflin) added nine digs.

For BCCC, Aslyn Pry notched a game-high 10 kills, as well as two blocks, while Abby Granato and Breanna Reisinger contributed nine and eight kills, respectively. Morgan Jack posted a game-high 32 assists, and Lainey Tobolewski recorded 21 digs.

Penn State New Kensington remains at home on Tuesday, hosting Penn State Shenango at 7 p.m. in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) opener for both teams.