ABINGTON, Pa. – The Delaware Valley women's volleyball team topped the Keystone Giants in three before falling in four total sets to Penn State Abington on Saturday at the Trimatch hosted by the Nittany Lions.
 
MATCH ONE VS. KEYSTONE (3-0)
Set One: 25-21
Set Two: 25-15
Set Three: 25-22
The teams remained close with the score tying six times before a small 4-1 spurt from Keystone created a three-point lead, 14-11. A kill from Cassandra Gloster ensued setting the pace for an Aggies' 9-3 run to shift the lead in favor of DelVal by three, 20-17. The Giants attempted a comeback, but the Aggies held the slight 5-4 edge to take the set, 25-21.
 
An error on the Aggies gave away the first point of the set to the Giants, but DelVal quickly shifted momentum with a 5-0 run highlighted by two service aces by Alyssa Fink. Keystone broke up the run and cut the deficit to three. The Aggies answered back with a 16-3 run, led by three kills from Kai Logan and two more aces from Fink, taking a 23-7 lead. Keystone held the 8-2 edge through the end of the set but still came up short leaving the Aggies in the lead, 25-15.
 
Keystone pulled ahead by a margin of four, four times with DelVal unable to cut the deficit to closer than two through the opening rallies of the final set. Leading 17-13, The Giants used a series of small runs to take a five-point lead three times. Gloster capitalized with a kill following a Keystone ball handling error to start the Aggies on a 10-2 run for the lead, 24-21. The Giants put up a kill to make it a two-point game, but Monique Smith sealed the deal with a kill to end it, 25-22.
 
Smith led the Aggies offense in the contest with 11 kills while Fink contributed a team-high five service aces. Alexander Madison was the lead helping hand with 25 assists. Nia Walker tallied eight digs, and Ariana Hernandez had the lone block of the game.
 
MATCH TWO VS. PENN STATE ABINGTON (1-3)
Set One: 20-25
Set Two: 25-21
Set Three: 23-25
Set Four: 20-25
The Aggies jumped out to an early 3-0 start and maintained their lead until a 4-0 run changed the lead in favor of the Nittany Lions 12-9. Penn State Abington expanded its lead to six, 17-11. DelVal used a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to a single point 19-18. Penn State held the 6-2 edge through the end to take the set, 25-20.
 
DelVal quickly closed the gap on Penn State's early 3-0 start evening the score at four apiece. The Nittany Lions went on an 8-3 run to create a five-point lead, 12-7. A kill from Samantha Wilton kicked off a 6-0 run to shift the lead in favor of the Aggies, 13-12. Penn State responded promptly with seven unanswered points to regain the lead, 19-13. But DelVal was far from finished using a 12-2 run to take the set, 25-21.
 
The Aggies generated a six-point lead twice in the third set eventually expanding the lead to seven, 14-7, before Penn State used an 11-4 run to bring the deficit down to one, 19-18. Three consecutive kills from Hernandez, Wilton and Smith pushed the Aggies back up by four, 22-18. The Nittany Lions finished things off with a 7-1 run to take the set, 25-23.
 
The Nittany Lions remained in the lead with the score standing at 9-6 when a service error prompted a 5-1 comeback from the Aggies to take the lead, 11-10. Penn State held the edge on an 8-7 run that tied the game, 18-18. Penn State finished things off with a 7-2 run for the win, 25-20.
 
 Smith led the offense with 12 kills and led the team in blocks with three. Wilton tallied three service aces and Madison put up 30 total assists. Walker recorded a team-high 28 digs.
 
DelVal returns to action on Tuesday, Sep. 30 when they host Misericordia for their conference home opener at 7 p.m.