Shenango, York Advance to PSUAC Volleyball Championship Match As Each Looks for Program's First Title

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship tournament semifinals once again did not disappoint, as Penn State Shenango and Penn State York advanced to Tuesday's championship match after a big win in Rec Hall on Monday. 

Shenango picked up a 3-1 win in the first match of the night, toppling Penn State Mont Alto to advance to the program's first-ever conference championship match, while York swept Penn State Fayette to enter their third conference title match in the last four years. 

Semifinal #1

West #1 Penn State Shenango - 3, East #3 Penn State Mont Alto - 1

Penn State Shenango advanced to the championship match with a 3-1 win over Penn State Mont Alto on Monday night in Rec Hall. Shenango snuck out of each of the first two sets with two and three point wins before losing the third set 25-18. But a dominant fourth set that started with an 8-0 run propelled the West's top seed to Tuesday's PSUAC Volleyball Championship match.

The first two sets followed similar scripts, with the teams trading points throughout before Shenango captured the first set with the final two points to win 26-24. The second set saw Mont Alto jump out to an early lead, but Shenango answered to pull ahead 13-12 and eventually lead 16-13. Mont Alto would tie the match at 19 apiece before Shenango rallied late to pull out a 25-22 win to go up 2-0. 

Mont Alto answered in a big way in the third set, going up 5-1 before Shenango tied the score at 12-12. An eventual five-point run from Mont Alto allowed them to pull ahead 19-14 before extending the lead to 23-15. A few points from Shenango wasn't enough as Mont Alto closed out the set 25-18 to crawl back into the match and trail 2-1.

That's when Shenango went to work, scoring eight straight points and 11 of the first twelve in the fourth set. Mont Alto used two pushes to cut their deficit to 14-7 and 18-11, but couldn't pull closer as Shenango continued to apply pressure at the net. Mont Alto was able to pull within five at 23-18, but Shenango scored the final two points to grab the set and the match and punch their ticket to the finals.

Four Shenango players finished with double digit kills, including Taylor Burns who led the way with 14. Savana Shipman pitched in 13 kills and 15 digs while Izzy Mauro added 11 kills. Sydney Ward pitched in 10 kills, with Jadeyn Zepeda assisting on most with 39 total assists. Jillian Palumnbo also added 15 digs from the libero position. 

Mont Alto's Elizabeth Trella led all players with 17 kills as Brooklynn Sheridan pushed out 22 assists. Ashlynn Vandenbree led the defensive effort for Mont Alto with 20 digs.

Shenango was outhit by Mont Alto, who hit .167 to Shenango's .153. But Shenango took advantage of Mont Alto on the serve, picking up 11 aces.

Semifinal #2

East #1 Penn State York - 3, West #2 Penn State Fayette - 0

Penn State York swept Penn State Fayette in the second PSUAC semifinal at Rec Hall. York used a solid hitting attack and capitalized on Fayette mistakes to advance to Tuesday's final, looking to win the program's first ever PSUAC crown. 

Fayette led early in each of the first and second sets, but couldn't hold the leads as York answered each time they got down. Fayette led 5-1 in the first set, but was tied at 6-6 before the teams traded a few points. York finally rallied for a 5-1 run that put in the lead. They wouldn't relinquish it for the rest of the set, taking the first 25-18.

Fayette carried some momentum early in the second set, grabbing an 8-4 advantage before York went on a 5-0 run, capturing a lead that wouldn't disappear. A mid-set run helped them grab a 19-12 lead before closing out the second set 25-17. In the third, it was more of the same as Fayette jumped out 2-0 before York answered with a 9-4 run midway through to lead 16-12. A 9-4 run finished the set and the match as York took the match with a 25-16 triumph.

York's Gracie Reinhart and Kira Eisenberg each tallied 14 kills, while Mia Sigmon hit an impressive .429 and notched 13 finishes. Joan Olson dished out 41 assists on the night to lead all players. Sigmon also added a match-high 14 digs while Reinhart added 12.

Fayette was led by Amiah DeShields with 11 kills, while Kennedy Felio had 11 digs for the West's second seed. 

York outhit Fayette .286 to .102 while tallying seven service aces. Fayette was strong at the net with eight blocks, but it wasn't enough as York advanced to the championship match for the first time since 2023.

What's Next

Shenango and York will now meet in the PSUAC Volleyball Championship match on Tuesday, October 28th at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. Each team seeks its program's first volleyball title, along with the PSUAC's automatic berth into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Volleyball National Championship Tournament which begins November 6, 2025 in Uniontown, Pa. at the Penn State Fayette campus.

You can watch the 2025 PSUAC Volleyball Championship live at www.psucampusathletics.com. The game begins at 6:00 p.m. For those attending, please view our championship preview for fan information.