AMCC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT OPENS WEDNESDAY

The 2018 AMCC women's volleyball championship tournament kicks off on Wednesday, October 31 with first round match-ups. #6 Medaille College will travel to #3 Pitt-Bradford, while #5 Penn State Altoona travels to #4 La Roche College. #1 Penn State Behrend and #2 Mount Aloysius College each received first round byes.

Top seed and tournament host Penn State Behrend enters the tournament with an 8-1 record. The Lions are led by setter Lexi Irwin's conference-leading .334 hitting percentage. Irwin also ranks second in the AMCC with 799 total assists and 7.99 assists per set. Middle hitter Alex Parra ranks second with 0.97 blocks per set. Outside hitter Amanda Henry led the Lions with 2.40 kills per set, while Madison Clapper's 4.51 digs per set were tops on her team.

#2 Mount Aloysius also recorded an 8-1 record during the regular season, but fell to the Lions head-to-head. The Mounties are led by MH Sarah Fisher whose 3.06 kills per set are fifth-best in the conference, while her .322 hitting percentage is second. Mountie libero Kylee Clawson ranks second with 5.40 digs per set and setter Jessica Bressler ranks fourth with 5.65 assists per set. 

Pitt-Bradford, with a 7-2 conference mark, has earned the #3 seed. Outside hitter Riley Anderson has been strong for the Panthers all season and leads the conference with 346 total kills and 3.64 kills per set. Emily Cleveland is not far behind, as her 331 total kills and 3.52 kills per set rank her second and third in the conference, respectively. Setter Payton Orzech tops the conference with an impressive 9.62 assists per set, and defensive specialist Lauren Hildebrand leads the way with 563 digs.

Also with a 7-2 record in AMCC play is #4 La Roche College. Senior outside hitter Laura Nath ranks second in the conference 3.53 kills per set, while her 300 total kills is third. Libero Hannah Scott is tops in the league with 5.94 digs per set, while setter Sarah Storino ranks second with 0.47 service aces per set. 

With a 5-4 conference record is fifth-seeded Penn State Altoona. Senior outside hitter Keley Bristol leads the Lady Lions, and ranks seventh in the AMCC, with 2.75 kills per set, while also averaging a team-leading 3.40 digs per set. Setter Lauren Moran is fourth in the AMCC with 0.46 service aces per set and also leads the Lady Lions with 4.18 assists per set. 

Rounding out the field is #6 Medaille with a 4-5 record in AMCC play. Libero Gina Appenheimer's 4.57 digs per set ranks her fifth in the conference, while outside hitter Melissa Postek leads the Mavs with 2.63 kills per set. 

First round games will take place on Wednesday, October 31 at 7pm with #6 Medaille at #3 Pitt-Bradford and #5 Penn State Altoona at #4 La Roche. Hosted by Penn State Behrend, the semifinals will be on Saturday, November 3 and the finals on Sunday, November 4. Go to the AMCC Fall Sports Championships page for more details.

The NCAA women's volleyball championship will take place on November 15-17 at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, PA.