PITTSBURGH, Pa. - For the fifth time in program history, the first time since 2018 and the first time ever winning by a final score of 3-0 in the series, La Roche volleyball stunned Penn State Behrend on Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Lions.
The first set saw the Redhawks immediately put Behrend on its heels, storming out to a decisive, 10-2 lead.
As the set went on, the Lions trimmed the deficit to 16-13, but La Roche locked back in, building a 24-17 lead before finishing set one with a 25-18 victory.
Set two was complete domination by the Redhawks, holding Behrend to just 10 points in a 25-10 victory. It's the second fewest points the Lions have scored in a set this season, when they scored eight against Carnegie Mellon.
Again, La Roche jumped ahead to a 9-4 lead and later led 15-9 when Behrend called a timeout. After scoring a point out of the timeout, the Redhawks dominated the rest of the way, finishing off set two with a 10-0 run.
Set three was the closest set of the day and would end in extra points.
La Roche continued pressing the issue by opening the set with an 8-1 lead, but this time, the Lions fired back to trail just 9-8.
The Redhwks regrouped and scored 10 of the next 15 points, rebuilding a 19-13 lead and eventually were four points away from closing the match with a 21-16 edge.
For the first time in the match, La Roche would be on its heels, as Behrend sparked with an 8-1 run to put the set at set point, 24-22.
The Redhawks completely flipped the script at that point, scoring two big points to tie the set at 24-24 and closed it out with a 4-0 run to win 26-24.
Once again, Kalli Grine led the team in kills with a game-high 10, hitting .350 on the day, followed by Olivia Sickmiller who hit .316 with eight kills.
Kaci DePalma's 17 digs was also a match best, while Estelle Wink earned a double-double with 17 assists to lead the way and 11 digs. Mackenzie Myers also finished in double figures with 10 digs.
Grine was also exceptional blocking, picking up three solo blocks and four assisted blocks on the day.
La Roche has just one game next week, as they hit the road to face Mt. Aloysius on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m.