Hazleton moves on to Rec Hall with quarterfinal win over Schuylkill

Hazleton, Pa. - The Nittany Lions have punched their ticket back to Rec Hall at University Park with a win in the PSUAC quarterfinals over Penn State Schuylkill in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium. Hazleton powered their way through the first two sets of the night, winning by scores of 25-14 and 25-13 respectively. Schuylkill took Hazleton down to the wire in the third frame, but ultimately fell off late as the match came to a close with a 25-21 win for the Lions. 

Hazleton led wire to wire in the first set of the evening, going ahead of the visitors 5-0 out of the gates. Schuylkill bounced back midway through the set, getting to within two points of the Lions at 11-13 but Hazleton stormed their way to the finish. The Lions won the final eight points of the set, getting three kills from third year Sydney Mack and a pair of scores from second year Sarah Ballek to take the early lead in the match. Similarly in set two, Hazleton pulled ahead early, scoring in bunches. The Lions got offensive production up and down the roster in this one, getting four kills from Mack, and three each from Ballek and second year Kaytlin Kelley. Six Nittany Lions earned kills in the frame as Hazleton cruised to a two set advantage and firm control of the match. 

Schuylkill refused to go quietly as the visiting squad came back from a four point deficit to make the third frame interesting. Schuylkill took a 12-11 lead midway through the action on a kill by Maddy Robinson and the set saw six lead changes up until a 20-20 tie late in the match. At that point, Hazleton got a big score from the middle hitter Kaytlin Kelley, turning the tides back in Hazleton's favor. The Lion proceeded on a four point run with fourth year Rebecca Dzuranin serving and Kelley notched three kills down the stretch to close out the playoff contest in three sets. 

Mack and Kelley proved dominant in this one with both Hazleton players finishing in double-figures. Mack totaled 15 kills in the win with Kelley adding 10 scores as Hazleton produced 15 kills collectively in each of the three frames on Thursday. Second year setter Sophia Del Vacchio notched 36 assists to go along with two kills with Sarah Ballek adding eight kills and a pair of assisted blocks. In total, seven Nittany Lions got in on the scoring while second year Libero Nora Jones picked up 35 digs on the defensive side, equating to a quality team effort as the post-season gets underway. 

Hazleton will now head out to University Park where the Lions will square off with Penn State Shenango in the semi-finals. Hazleton will look to surpass last year's semi-final defeat at the hands of Mont Alto as they take on the number two seeded Shenango and earn a trip to the PSUAC Championships. First serve for the semi-final match will take place at 5:00 p.m. at Rec Hall on Monday, October 28.