WILKES-BARRE, PA (SEPTEMBER 30, 2023) -- The King's College women's volleyball team fell 0-2 on Saturday in McGrane Gymnasium. The Monarchs fell short to Morrisville State (7-10) in an exciting 3-2 matchup. In the second game of the afternoon, King's lost 3-1 to Penn State- Harrisburg (7-8). The Monarchs are now 9-5 overall.
 
vs. Morrisville State – L, (15-25, 16-25, 25-18, 25-20, 5-15):
It was an interesting first set as each team was neck and neck for much of the match. The score was 11-10 when Morrisville State made their lead comfortable with an 11-3 push. Kathy Shepherd (So.) had one last kill for the Monarchs before the Mustangs eventually took the set 25-15.
 
In the second set, Morrisville State maintained their momentum and had a 13-4 run. King's had an 8-3 spurt to shorten the deficit that included a kill by Emma Bolich (Fy.) and an ace by Morgan Williams (So.) to make the score 16-12. The Mustangs would ultimately win the second set 25-16.
 
The third set was a battle as the score tied four times before the Monarchs broke free with a 13-6 jolt, and the stat sheet recorded multiple kills by Joy Kindall (So.) and Emily Scott (Sr.). Morrisville State would answer back with their own five unanswered points to make the score 19-16. King's prevailed and took the set 25-18.
 
The fourth set was much like the third as both teams were trying to create some leverage over the other. The score was 8-7 when the Monarchs produced three consecutive points that comprised of Shepherd, Bolich, and Kindall. From then on, every time the Mustangs would try to make a run, King's would answer back with their own. With two consecutive kills by Bolich and Mia Campanile (So.), the Monarchs were victorious 25-20.
 
The fifth and final set of the evening was a must win situation to take the match. Morrisville State came back with vengeance by having a 15-5 streak to take the game.
 
King's ended with 40 kills, 34 assists, six aces, 68 digs, and a hitting percentage of 0.106. Kindall had eight kills with Shepherd following with seven. Keely Hoban (Jr.) set a standard for 33 assists on the night. Williams had 17 digs and Emma Monson (Jr.) was right behind with 16 of her own.
 
Morrisville State's Emily Huppee paced the offense with 27 kills and Hannah Taylor handed out 45 assists. Kayla Sheasby added 36 digs to the stat line.
 
vs. Penn State- Harrisburg – L, (24-26, 18-25, 25-21, 16-25):
The opening set of the match was electric as both teams battled back and forth seeing the score tied 12 separate times. Though Penn State- Harrisburg would see two kills by Hannah DeGregory, which helped them take the set 26-24.
 
In the second set of the afternoon, the Nittany Lions controlled much of the matchup. Every time King's would get within three, Penn State- Harrisburg would retaliate with more tallies on the scoreboard. The score was 19-14 when Joy Kindall (So.) came out with two consecutive aces for King's. Penn State- Harrisburg would eventually win the set 25-18.
 
The third set started off with neither team creating any sort of momentum. The score was 7-7, when the Monarchs came out on fire with a 14-2 burst to grant them a 21-9 cushion. In this stretch there were several kills by Bella Salvia (So.), Lindsay Arezina (Fy.), Emma Monson (Jr.), and Kindall. The Nittany Lions came back with their own 12-2 run. The crowd was at the edge of their seats for the two final points, and King's overcame the Nittany Lions with a score of 25-21.
 
Penn State- Harrisburg took the lead early in the fourth and final set. The score was 9-5 when the Monarchs made a 4-2 push that included kills by Bella Salvia (So.) and Madisyn Heiser-Elsea (Fy.). The Nittany Lions would continue to irritate King's and always had an answer. Penn State- Harrisburg took the set 25-16.
 
The Monarchs finished with 37 kills, 34 assists, nine aces, 65 digs, and a hitting percentage of 0.050. Kindall led the squad with 14 kills. Keely Hoban (Jr.) had a team high of 30 assists with 10 digs. Morgan Williams (So.) sparked the defense with 18 digs and Devan Moses (So.) followed with her own 10.
 
The Nittany Lions' Hannah DeGregory had 18 kills and Katie Richardson dished out 39 assists. Julia Choe fueled the defense with 22 digs.
 
King's will be on the road next week to take on Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom opponent Arcadia on Wednesday, October 4^th at 7 p.m. The squad will then bus over to Penn State- New Kensington to face off at 6 p.m. on October 6^th. The team will take a road trip to Steubenville, OH to challenge Franciscan at 12:30 p.m. before returning to McGrane Gymnasium on Tuesday, October 10^th to battle against MAC Freedom opponent Delaware Valley.