Fayette Thwarts La Roche Comeback Attempt

September 19, 2011

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - For the second time this season, and third time in a row dating to last year, the fourth ranked Penn State Fayette Roaring Lions (9-3, 1-0) volleyball team defeated La Roche College, 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-21). Despite a shaky second set, the Roaring Lions were able to stop La Roche's comeback attempt with eight straight points to take a 2-0 set lead, and finished off the Redhawks in the third set. The win marks Fayette's fourth win over a NCAA Division III program this season, and seventh in the past two years.

Junior Leah Ambrosini (Connellsville, Pa.) led the Roaring Lions with 13 kills while also adding two blocks. A balanced attack behind Ambrosini saw four players notch four kills or more. Sophomore Marney Hillen (Connellsville, Pa.) added seven kills and seven digs, while freshman Janelle Cooper (Mount Braddock, Pa.) claimed six kills. Sophomore Caitlin Fidel (Perryopolis, Pa.) and freshman Samantha Helmantoler (Monongahela, Pa.) had five and four kills, respectively.

Senior Katie Sleasman (Connellsville, Pa.) added 17 assists and seven digs for the Roaring Lions, while freshman Emily Konter (Brownsville, Pa.) added 10. Sophomore Victoria Kearns (Uniontown, Pa.) notched 11 digs for Fayette.

The Roaring Lions started off set one with a kill from Cooper, but La Roche answered with two points of their own for an early 2-1 lead. Ambrosini set down a kill followed by a Hillen ace before a service error tied the score at 3-3. Another Ambrosini kill and a Redhawks error preceded a La Roche kill, but Fayette answered with three straight points, including a kill by Ambrosini and a block by Helmantoler, to make it 8-4. A Fayette attack error was followed by two Fayette pionts, finished with a Helmantoler kill. The next four points were split, including two kills by Hillen, to make it a 12-7 Roaring Lions advantage. La Roche charged back with four of the next five points before an Ambrosini kill made it 14-11. Fayette would take three of the next four with a kill from Helmantoler and Ambrosini and a La Roche attack error. However, three straight Roaring Lions errors made it 17-15. Helmantoler answered with another kill, and sophomore Alaina Weiss (Monongahela, Pa.) added a block before Hillen forced a La Roche timeout after a kill. A Fayette service error made it 20-16, but Fayette would take four of the next five points to make it 24-17. Hillen, Sleasman and Cooper all notched kills in the 4-1 run, but the Redhawks answered with three straight points before a service error ended set one, 25-20.

La Roche jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second set, and held an advantage through most of the set. The next eight points would be split, as Kearns, Sleasman and Fidel notched kills for the Roaring Lions, but a La Roche block gave them a 10-6 advantage. Two Fidel kills were each followed with La Roche points to make it 12-8, and Hillen added a kill before a Redhawks error made it 12-10. La Roche would go on a 3-0 run to make it 15-10, but Fayette came back with two points, the second with a kill from Helmantoler after a long rally. La Roche answered with three of the next four points, before the Roaring Lions took the next two, finishing with a kill by Cooper to cut the Fayette deficit to three, 18-15. Two La Roche kills were followed by a Konter kill, but the Redhawks took a 22-16 lead with the next two points. Fidel notched a kill, but La Roche took two of the next three and held a set point at 24-18. However, that is where the Redhawks offense stopped. Konter tipped a set over the net for a point, and then took the ball to serve for the Roaring Lions. She would serve the next seven points, including an ace and three Ambrosini kills, as Fayette took the last eight points for a 26-24 comeback win.

Set three saw La Roche jump out to another early lead, this time 6-2, before Cooper and Weiss added kills to cut the Fayette deficit. La Roche would take four of the next five points, with the Roaring Lions only able to muster a kill from Ambrosini. Hillen stopped the surge with a kill, and Fidel and Weiss blocked a Redhawks attack before a La Roche point made it 11-7. After flip-flopping the next six points to make it 14-10, Fayette would make another run. This time the Roaring Lions strung together five straight points to take a 15-14 lead behind the strength of two Ambrosini kills. La Roche answered by taking four of the next five points for an 18-16 lead, but Fayette tied the score with a Konter kill and an ace from Sleasman. After a La Roche point, Hillen notched a kill before two Redhawks errors gave Fayette a 21-19 advantage. An attack error brought La Roche within a point, but a service error and a block by Ambrosini and Fidel made it 23-20. Cooper set down a kill after a Redhawks timeout, and despite one more La Roche point, an error ended the third set, 25-21.

The Roaring Lions return to conference play on Thursday, Sept. 22 as they host western rival Penn State Beaver at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Center Main Arena. Fayette swept the three meetings between the squads last season.