WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – A strong service game that provided 11 aces and a quick defense that posted six blocks helped the Lycoming College volleyball team wrap up its first weekend of play with a 3-0 win over the 2019 Colonial States Athletic Conference champion Notre Dame (Md.), 25-19, 25-20, 25-12, on Saturday evening, Sept. 4. The Warriors fell in the day's opener to Penn State Mont Alto, 3-0.
 
First-year Brynne Bisel (Julian, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) posted nine kills, three aces, nine digs and three blocks to lead Lycoming (1-1 overall) against Notre Dame (0-4 overall). First-year Ali Koval (Mansfield, Pa./North Penn-Mansfield) added 18 digs and junior Elizabeth Kelson (Denville, N.J./Morris Catholic) added six kills and four blocks. Sophomore Megan Starkweather (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) posted 27 assists, three aces, three kills and two blocks.
 
Lycoming used a run of six straight points off Starkweather's serve in the first set to take control after the Gators scored the first three points. Notre Dame came within a point at 15-14 before the Warriors went on a 7-2 run to break the set open with a block from Bisel and first-year Sydney Guethlein (Cincinnati, Ohio/West Clermont) capping the run.
 
Down 15-12 in the second set, the Warriors closed it on a 13-5 run. They led the third set from start to finish, an 11-1 run in the middle of the set capped by two aces from Bisel putting the match in the books.
 
Ciarra Bockstie led the Gators with four kills, Natalie Newton posted 12 assists and Stephanie Morgan added 10 digs.
 
In the first match, first-year Ava Coombs (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) and junior Elizabeth Kelson (Denville, N.J./Morris Catholic) notched seven kills to lead the Warriors, but Gracie Vaughn used 11 kills, swatting at a .618 clip, to lead Penn State-Mont Alto to a 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-14) win.
 
The Warriors were paced by 17 assists and nine digs from sophomore Megan Starkweather (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) and 33 digs from first-year Ali Koval (Mansfield, Pa./North Penn-Mansfield), while Kelson and first-year Arianna Santos (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area) posted three blocks a piece.
 
Vaughn notched 11 kills, Kylie Denlinger added 23 assists, 11 digs and three aces, Rachel Manikowski had 15 digs and Caroline Blickley had seven blocks to lead the Nittany Lions (1-1 overall).
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Wednesday, Sept. 8, when they open MAC Freedom play by hosting FDU-Florham at 7 p.m., in Lamade Gym.