ABINGTON, Pa. – Immaculata women's volleyball won the second and fourth set in their season opener against the Penn State Abington Nittany Lions on Saturday. However, the home team took the match 3-2.
The Mighty Macs are 0-1 for the season. Their first AEC game will be on Saturday, Oct. 11 versus Saint Elizabeth.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST PENN STATE ABINGTON
- The Mighty Macs started slow in their first set of the season. Down 3-2, a quick 6-0 run by the Nittany Lions gave them the early advantage. The home team claimed the first set 25-6.
- Penn State Abington once again set the initial tone, but Immaculata fought their way back to tie the score 4-4. Neither team could gain separation until a Penn State Abington service error sparked a 7-0 Immaculata run. Angelica Santini Bulerin saw three aces in that run alone. The Nittany Lions did not go away, as things were tied at 16 later on. A tightly-contested second set, 25-22, would eventually go to the Mighty Macs.
- After dropping the first point of set three, Immaculata earned four consecutive points. Damani Myers recorded back-to-back-to-back aces. Tied at 12, a tough 13-2 outburst by the home team led to the Nittany Lions taking a 25-14 victory in the third set.
- Immaculata's first-years continued to make an impact, as the fourth set began. Santini Bulerin saw an assist before Adriana Ventura got a point on an ace. Both teams went back and forth in the fourth, and Immaculata even pushed forward with a 9-2 run to go up 21-14. Penn State Abington attempted to reassert themselves in the set, but the Mighty Macs stood strong for a 25-19 win.
- With the match knotted at 2-2, a fifth set was needed. A mixture of aces and kills gave Immaculata a boost. This led to both teams sitting at 8-8 before switching sides of the court. Despite a hard fight from the Mighty Macs, the Nittany Lions ended the match on a 7-1 run to take the set 15-9. Penn State Abington concluded Saturday's competition with a 3-2 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Emma Hodgson led the Mighty Macs with eight kills.
- Santini Bulerin, in her collegiate debut, put up an impressive 15 assists and four aces, both of which were team-highs.
- Ventura, also a first-year, was Immaculata's digs leader with 17.
UP NEXT
The Mighty Macs will play their home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. They will host the Delaware Valley University Aggies.