FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College volleyball team (0-7) dropped a
3-0 decision (15-25, 20-25, 17-25) to the visiting Penn State
University Harrisburg Nittany Lions Tuesday in nonconference action
at Gambrill Gymnasium.
In the first set, the Nittany Lions snapped a 7-7 tie with a 9-1
run capped by a Melissa Reese kill to assume a 16-8 lead. The
Blazers closed to within seven, 19-12, on a pair of blocks by
Ashley Burns and Kristan Hawkins, but Hood got no closer as Penn
State went on to take the first stanza, 25-15.
The Nittany Lions scored the first four points of the second set
on Blazer miscues and extended their advantage to 9-2 before the
Blazers called timeout. Later in the set, trailing 23-14, Katie
Worthington served six straight points, including three consecutive
aces, to pull Hood to within 23-20. Penn State earned its first set
point on a serving error and Reese closed out the stanza once again
with one of her match-high eight kills.
Hood went up 4-3 in the third set on a service ace by Hawkins.
But after a Hawkins hitting error, the Nittany Lions took the lead
for good on a Lindsay Shook service ace and Penn State captured the
match with a 25-17 triumph.
Burns paced the Blazer offense with eight kills while Jamie
Gardner had five and Chelsea Weaver and Hawkins chipped in four
apiece. Kristina Straub set up 15 Blazer kills and put down three
of her own.
Reese hit an impressive .538 for the Nittany Lions while Amanda
Wade finished with a double-double of 21 assists and 12 digs.
Hood returns to action Friday hosting the St. Mary's College
(Md.) Seahawks in a Capital Athletic Conference match at 7 p.m. at
Gambrill Gymnasium.
