Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 10/12/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball split its tri-match on Saturday afternoon at home with Penn State Scranton and Lehigh Carbon CC, knocking off the Nittany Lions in straight sets before falling to the Cougars in five sets at the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
The Falcons (15-5, 8-2) won a runaway contest against PSU Scranton (0-13) in straight sets at 25-7, 25-6, and 25-3 to start the day. Lackawanna had 36 aces as a team and got eight kills from Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO), along with five kills from Angelique Fuentes (Miami, FL) and four kills from Aryana Girvan (Clarion, PA) in the win.
 
After Lehigh Carbon (15-2, 8-2) took down the Nittany Lions in straight sets in the middle match, the Cougars and Falcons tangled for the second time in two weeks. Much like the last match, this one went the distance in five sets, with Lehigh Carbon winning it at 23-25, 25-11, 25-18, 21-25, 15-10.
 
The Falcons won a tight first set that featured two big runs from both squads. The Falcons ran off a six-point streak to take an 18-11 lead, then Lehigh Carbon scored eight straight points to make it 19-18, Cougars. Lackawanna then scored five straight to reclaim a 23-19 lead and hung on for the 25-23 first set win on a kill from Girvan.
 
In set two, Lackawanna fell apart, committing 19 errors and never really getting on track in a 25-11 loss. The third set saw the visiting Cougars eventually take a six-point lead at 15-9, but Lackawanna got within a point at 16-15. Lehigh Carbon won eight of the last eleven points from there, all eight coming on kills, to take a 25-18 third set and a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth frame.
 
Lehigh Carbon held a seven-point lead at 14-7 in the fourth set, when Lackawanna started its charge back. The Falcons got a kill from Hofmann, then a solo block from Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY), all part of an 8-3 run that got Lackawanna within 17-15. Lehigh Carbon stretched the lead out to 20-16, but back-to-back kills from Hofmann, an ace from Fuentes, and a hitting error against the Cougars knotted things up at 20-all. After Lehigh Carbon took a 21-20 lead, the Falcons then ran off five-straight, bookended by Hofmann kills to win the fourth set at 25-21 and set up the fifth set.
 
The teams traded the first four points, but a Lackawanna service error, followed by four straight hitting errors, put the Falcons in a 7-2 hole. The closest Lackawanna would get would be four points at 14-10, but Lackawanna couldn't stave off elimination, falling on a kill to end the match and give Lehigh Carbon its second five-set victory over Lackawanna this season.
 
The Falcons got 14 kills from Hofmann, along with ten kills from Girvan and a season-best eight kills from Gabriela Gomez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). Maddilyn Durfee (Buffalo, NY) had 20 assists, while Zoe Ortueta (Miami, FL) added 13 helpers.
 
Lackawanna is back at work on Wednesday, October 16^th, when the Falcons will host the Spartans from Northampton CC. It's Dig Pink Night at the Lackawanna College Student Union, where fans and attendees are encouraged to wear pink, as the Falcons raise funds to donate to Michele's Ladies In Pink charity, a local charitable organization in Northeast PA that helps women and their families affected by breast cancer. First serve is at 5:00pm ET.