Lemont Furnace, Pa. - The Penn State New Kensington women's volleyball team had an outstanding showing this past weekend at the Penn State University Athletic Conference Crossover. The Nittany Lions went 4-0 at the event hosted by Penn State Fayette, improving their record to 5-7 overall.
In the first match on Saturday against Penn State Schuylkill, New Kensington won by set scores of 25-7, 25-7, and 25-20. The Lions were led by sophomore outside hitter Kaylea Flick (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) who put away 14 kills at a .355 clip. Flick also served up a match-high seven aces. Freshman libero Erin Tumas (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) picked up seven digs to lead the defense, while sophomore setter Lindsey Hessom (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area) had 22 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Janet Surma (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) produced eight kills in her first match back after a preseason injury held her out of the first half of the season.
Against Penn State Scranton in the nightcap, New Kensington won 3-1 by set scores of 25-18, 24-26, 25-14, and 25-13. Flick again came up big offensively with a career-high 19 kills and a .343 hitting percentage. She also led the defense with 13 digs, while Tumas added nine digs. Surma tallied six aces and Hessom produced a career-high 31 assists.
On Sunday, New Kensington took on Penn State York in its first match, winning in three sets -- 25-15, 25-12, and 25-17. Flick led the Lions with 12 kills, while fellow sophomore Brittany Kotvas (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) added eight kills. Defensively, Tumas picked up eight digs with senior Cora Rejniak (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) adding six digs. Hessom ran the offense, recording 21 assists.
The final match of the weekend was the most intense of them all with the Lions battling Penn State Hazleton to a 3-2 victory (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13). The sophomore trio of Flick, Kotvas, and Surma led the offense with 19, 10, and 9 kills respectively. Flick also had 26 digs, while Tumas and Rejniak each posted career highs with 18 digs a piece. Hessom added a career-high 33 assists and also had 14 digs.
New Kensington returns to PSUAC West action on Wednesday, Oct. 3 when they travel to Penn State Mont Alto. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m.