ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Penn College women's volleyball suffered two nonconference defeats against Alfred University and Lewis & Clark College on Friday afternoon at the Rochester University Invitational. The Wildcats fell, 3-0, in both matches to the Saxons and River Otters, marking their record at 0-8 overall.
Against Alfred, the Wildcats totaled 12 kills while the Saxons earned the victory with 37 kills and a .309 hitting percentage. The first set saw Penn College falling behind early, as Alfred scored 10 straight points to lead 14-2, aided by four aces. The Wildcats managed a brief comeback with three consecutive points, featuring a block from
Peyton Maass and
Mya Gilliam, followed by a Gilliam kill, but ultimately dropped the set 25-12.
In the second set, PCT trailed from the onset, with Alfred building a 15-4 advantage. Despite a service ace from
Janae Carden and two kills from Gilliam, the Wildcats struggled to gain momentum, ultimately losing the set 25-15. The third set began with Penn College scoring the first three points, but Alfred quickly answered, extending their lead to 22-11 before closing the set at 25-15. Inside the box,
Lilly Stockum led the Wildcats with five kills, hitting .333, while Carden served three aces and led with five digs. Gilliam contributed three kills and two blocks, and
Taryn Smith recorded four assists.
In the match against Lewis & Clark, the Wildcats managed 13 kills while Lewis & Clark produced 32 kills with a .250 hitting percentage. The first set was closely contested initially, reaching 4-4, but Lewis & Clark surged ahead, winning the set 25-12. The second set saw the Wildcats fall behind early as Lewis & Clark scored four quick points and later extended their lead to 13-2, closing the set 25-12 despite contributions from
Avani Rainier and
Kiera Clarkson.
In the third set, PCT cut down a 7-2 deficit to 8-6 with back-to-back aces from Stockum, but Lewis & Clark responded decisively, ultimately winning the set 25-13. Stockum led the Wildcats with three kills and two service aces, while Maass had a team-high eight digs.
Up next: Penn College will close out its stay at the Rochester Invitational against Clarkson University (11 a.m.) and Smith College (1 p.m.) on Saturday.
