#1 MOUNT ALOYSIUS, #3 BEHREND TO MEET IN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Top seed Mount Aloysius College and No. 3 seed Penn State Behrend each earned victories in the semifinal round, advancing to the AMCC women’s volleyball championship match slated for Sunday afternoon.

#1 Mount Aloysius d. #4 Hilbert, 3-2
The Mounties outlasted Hilbert in a five-set thriller to advance to the AMCC championship match for the first time in program history. Behind another standout performance from Molly Richards and a strong performance from setter Reghyn Wilson, the Mounties battled their way to a dramatic 3-2 victory (23-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11).

Richards hammered a career-high 31 kills while adding 21 digs and four blocks. Wilson orchestrated the attack efficiently, finishing with a career-high 40 assists.

Hilbert came out hot and looking for an upset victory, taking the first set 25-23. The Mounties came storming back with a 25-14 win in the second. After Hilbert edged ahead by taking the third set, the Mounties responded once more-turning up their defense and attacking efficiency to capture the fourth 25-20 and force a decisive fifth frame.

The Mounties took control early in the final set, using Richards' offense and key plays from Mackenzie Barr (16 kills) and Poliana Lazarini  (29 digs, 13 kills) to close out the match 15-11.

Defensively, Mount Aloysius registered 97 digs, while Kaylee Smith and Richards each tallied four blocks.

#3 Penn State Behrend d. #2 Penn State Altoona, 3-1
The No. 3 Penn State Behrend women's volleyball team advances to the AMCC championship match with a 3-1 win over No. 2 Penn State Altoona in the conference semifinals on Saturday.

The Behrend Lions avenged a 3-0 loss to Penn State Altoona during the regular season to set themselves up for a chance to win the AMCC title vs. No. 1 Mount Aloysius. The Lions had double-digit kills in each set and only committed 16 attack errors over four sets to upset the Altoona Lions. Behrend jumped out to a 2-0 lead before falling by two points in the third and then winning by only allowing 14 points in the fourth set. Setter Brynne Smith dished out a career-high 52 assists and a season-high 19 digs. As a team, the Lions hit .280 and Kylie Fehlman posted a .682 attack percentage with 17 kills on 22 attempts and two errors. Cadence Jones had a match-high 23 kills and 16 digs for the double-double, while knocking down a match-high six service aces. Sara Nobach and Alani Salas-Garcia had double-digit digs with 13 and 15, respectively. 

The Mounties and Lions will now advance to Sunday's championship match, set for 1:00pm at Mount Aloysius College.