9/13/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball will look to keep its early season success on a roll when the Falcons take on three opponents in two days this weekend.
 
The action starts on Friday, September 13^th, when Lackawanna is set to host fellow Region XIX DII opponent, Delaware Tech CC. The match will start at 5:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. Admission is free and open to the public, and there will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
Then, on Saturday, September 14^th, the Falcons will head down the interstate to take on PSU Hazleton and PSU Mont Alto in tri-match action at the Hazleton campus. Lackawanna will face Mont Alto at 3:30pm ET, before then taking on the hosts at 5:30pm ET. Lackawanna has already played PSU Hazleton this season, winning in a five-set match two weeks ago, as part of a tri-match in Scranton.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (6-1) has won six of its first seven matches to start the year. The Falcons were most recently in action this past Tuesday night, where they hosted and defeated the Titans of County College of Morris, 3-0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-12). The recap for that match is HERE.
 
So far in 2024, the Falcons are hitting at a collective .208 clip, averaging 9.7 kills per set this season. The Falcons have 94 aces in seven contests, averaging 4.1 aces per set, and are up to 14.3 digs per set so far this year. Opponents are hitting .116 on the year and have 36 aces vs. 67 errors on serve so far this season. The Falcons are at 0.8 blocks per set, and their opponents are at 0.9 blocks per set.
 
First-year outside hitter Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO) leads the squad this season with 46 kills through seven matches. Hofmann is also first on the team with 34 service aces and 65 digs. She's hitting at a .214 clip, second on the team among players with 80 or more attacks. Hofmann has double-digit kills in two matches this season, with a season-high 14 coming against Cecil two weeks ago. She hit .406 in the win over the Eagles. Against PSU Hazleton, Hofmann had eleven kills in five sets, while also putting up four service aces and 23 digs. Hofmann was deadly on serve against Westchester, putting up a season-best 13 aces in the straight-set victory. She had five kills on .333 hitting, with four aces, in the win against Morris on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Nadia Toth (Dalton, PA) is second on the team with 36 kills so far this season, hitting at .195. Toth has six service aces so far on the season, tied for fifth on the squad. Toth had 35 aces last year. Her six total blocks so far this season are tied for tops on the team, and she has 12 digs on the year. Toth had a team-best 12 kills against PSU Hazleton two weeks ago, hitting .323 in the match. Toth had the final points in all three sets the Falcons won against Hazleton. She had 13 kills in the two matches last weekend, putting up six kills on .429 hitting in the win over Westchester. Toth had three kills on .400 hitting in two sets against Morris on Tuesday.
 
First-year outside hitter Aryana Girvan (Clarion, PA) is third on the team with 34 kills this year, hitting .223 through seven matches this year. That's first on the team among players with 80 or more attacks. Girvan has 14 service aces, second on the team, and 38 digs so far this season. In back-to-back matches two weeks ago, Girvan had six kills for the Falcons, putting up six on .148 hitting against PSU Hazleton, and then six again on .385 hitting against Cecil. She also had a season-high eight digs in the win against Cecil. Girvan made it three matches in a row with six more kills against Harford last Wednesday. Her best match came against Morris Tuesday, where Girvan put up season-highs in kills (9), aces (5), and digs (9).
 
Sophomore outside hitter Angelique Fuentes (Miami, FL) has 33 kills through her first seven matches. Angie has more kills in her last three matches (20) than her first four matches (13) this season. She has eleven service aces, seven digs, and six block assists on the year. Fuentes hit a season-high last weekend with nine kills in the win against Montco, where she hit .500. She had six kills on .444 hitting in the win against Westchester. She had five kills on .167 hitting, with five aces, in the win against Morris. Fuentes is hitting at .179 on the season. She led the team last year with over 200 kills. She averaged a little over 2.5 kills per set last year, and hit .150, second on the team. Fuentes had eleven matches with double-digits in kills, with a season-high 20 coming against Chesapeake last season. She had a season-best eight service aces against Delaware Tech earlier in the season and led last year's team with 51 service aces on the year. Fuentes was a first-team All-EPAC selection last season.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Alasiah Cater (Coatesville, PA) has double-digit kills on the year with 27 in seven matches. Carter has 13 digs and four block assists on the year. She hit her season-high six kills this past week against Morris, hitting .308 on the day. She had a season-high six digs and four kills in the win against PSU Hazleton two weeks ago. She was the fourth Falcon with 100 or more kills a year ago, and had three matches with double-digit kills last year, including a season-best 19 kills in a five-set thriller against Lehigh Carbon CC. She had a season-best seven service aces in a win against Delaware Tech last year, and she had nine or more matches with double-digit digs. Her season-best was 24 digs against Bergen CC.
 
First-year middle hitter Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY) has been the most efficient hitter for the Falcons on this year, hitting at a blistering .438 clip this season with 24 kills. Osias is tied with Toth and Fuentes for first on the team with six total blocks this year. Neurdia had a combined 14 kills in two matches two weeks ago, including eight kills on .412 hitting against PSU Hazleton. She followed that up with six kills on .545 hitting in the sweep over Cecil College. She had two block assists in both matches. She had four kills on .375 hitting, plus a solo block and a block assist in the win against Morris on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore setter Maddilyn Durfee (Buffalo, NY) leads the team with 121 assists on the year, and has 13 service aces, third on the team through the early going. Durfee has 34 digs on the year, fifth on the team. She has reached double-digit assists in six of the first seven matches so far this season, with a season-best 27 coming in the win against Montco last Saturday. Durfee had a season-best ten digs against PSU Hazleton the weekend before that. She had 23 assists and two aces in the win against Westchester. Durfee had 18 assists and a pair of aces on Tuesday against Morris. Durfee was the main table-setter for Lackawanna a year ago, putting up nearly 500 assists for the Falcons. Durfee averaged just under six assists per set, still managed to put up 40 kills, and had 36 service aces on the year. She had 13 matches with 20 or more assists, and seven matches with 30 or more. Her best came against Chesapeake, where she dished out 37 helpers for the Falcons. Durfee was third on the team with just under 200 digs on the year and had double-digit digs eight times. Her season-best was 20 digs, which she accomplished twice in matches against Bergen CC and Montgomery County CC.
 
The head coach is Shelby Reese, now in her third season at the helm for the Falcons. Reese took over in 2022 and had to re-tool from a roster that was limited the year before, and a program that had been dormant after the pandemic before that. Reese helped the Falcons leap forward, winning their first match in nearly three years in her first season, then winning 14 matches and a Region XIX championship, the first in 17 years, in year two. Before coming to Lackawanna as the Athletic Academic Advisor in 2021, Reese was the head coach at Cedar Crest College for seven years. There, under similar circumstances, she took over a program that needed rehabbing, and turned the Falcons into a perennial conference contender, culminating in a 20-win season in her final year, which included a conference championship and an NCAA Division III tournament appearance. Reese is 22-23 in her time at Lackawanna and won 86 matches in seven years at Cedar Crest.
 
About Delaware Tech CC
Delaware Tech (4-0) is unbeaten through its first four matches, with a five-set win against Lehigh Carbon CC last Saturday serving as its only real test. Del Tech knocked off Harcum College in its last match last weekend, 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-13). Del Tech hit .137 for the match, putting up 28 kills as a team, and serving 17 aces against the Bears. They also had three solo blocks and two assists in the victory.
 
On the season, Del Tech is hitting .161, averaging 10.5 kills per set. Del Tech has 57 aces, averaging just over four per set, and averages 15.3 digs per set, while putting up 20 total blocks so far. Their opponents are hitting .105, averaging 6.3 kills per set, while only putting up 23 aces in four matches.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Carroll has been the main offensive weapon for Del Tech, leading the team with 59 kills through four matches, a 4.21 kills per set average. Carroll is hitting .248 on 145 attacks and leads the squad in aces (15) and service receptions (57). She also has 36 digs, third on the team. Carroll has been on a tear to start the year, never hitting below double-digits in kills. Her season-high of 19 came in the five-set win against Lehigh Carbon. She had four aces and hit .240 in that victory. She had 15 kills, four aces, and hit .423 in a season-opening win against Chesapeake. Her season-high six aces came in a sweep against Cecil. Against Harcum last weekend, Carroll had 12 kills on .206 hitting and an ace in a win over the Bears.
 
First-year outside hitter Elizabeth Baughman has 43 kills through four matches, averaging just over three per set, and is hitting .161 this year. Baughman has ten aces, third on the team, and has 43 digs, second on the squad this season. Baughman hit double-digit kills in one match so far, a season-best 17 in the win over Lehigh Carbon. She hit .250, had three aces, and a season-best 17 digs in the victory over the Cougars. Against Harcum, Baughman had nine kills on .138 hitting, with a pair of aces in the win.
 
Sophomore right-side hitter Jazzlyn Maloney has 28 kills, third on the team, on .257 hitting. She averages two kills per set and has five service aces and 16 digs this year. Maloney has twice hit double-digit kills, putting up a season-high 12 kills in the win at Cecil, where she hit .455. Her best hitting day came in the opening match, hitting .667 with eleven kills in a win over Chesapeake. She had four kills on .154 hitting and a pair of aces in the win against Harcum.
 
First-year setter Alyssa Diem is the main table-setter for Delaware Tech, putting up 127 assists through four matches this year. Diem averages just over nine per set and is second on the team with 13 aces this season. She has not had below 20 kills in any of her four matches, putting up a season-best 37 assists in the win against Chesapeake to open the season. She had 36 assists and 19 digs in the five-set win against Lehigh Carbon. Against Harcum last weekend, she had 24 assists and a season-best eight aces I the victory.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Lehigh DeSantis, now in her third season as the program's leader. DeSantis was an assistant for two years before stepping into the head job and has had volleyball coaching experience for the last 15 years at all school levels. DeSantis also currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force within the Air Force Reserve Command and is stationed as an air reserve technician at the Dover Air Force Base.
 
About PSU Hazleton
The Nittany Lions (4-3) have been up-and-down this season, winning three straight after its opening day loss to Lackawanna, then dropping two in a row before its latest win, a 3-0 sweep at PSU Lehigh Valley by scores of 25-14, 25-10, and 25-13. The Lions hit .260 on the day, putting up 27 kills and seven aces, while putting up an impressive 12 blocks. Hazleton held Lehigh Valley to negative hitting at -.154 and forced 19 hitting errors.
 
Through its first seven matches, the Nittany Lions are averaging just under 9.5 kills per set, hitting .126 this season. They have 61 aces to 46 service errors and are averaging just over two aces per set. The Lions average 16.97 digs per set, but have really shown in blocks, averaging 1.66 blocks per set this year.
 
Sydney Mack, last year's top scorer with 249 kills, is already up to 70 kills through just six matches, a 3.33 kills per set average. Mack is hitting .143 this season, which is second on the team among players with 100 or more attacks. She has five aces this season and has 63 digs and six total blocks this year. Mack has hit double-digits in kills three times this season, with a season-best 21 coming in a five-set loss to Wilkes earlier this week, where she hit .216 and also set her season-high with 19 digs. She had eight kills on .316 hitting in the win against PSU Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. Against the Falcons two weeks ago, Mack had five kills on .083 hitting and six digs in the five-set loss.
 
Sophomore Kaytlin Kelley is second on the team with 53 kills, averaging 1.83 kills per set, and she leads the team with .149 hitting. Kelley has been dominant up front, with a team-high 17 solo blocks and ten block assists this season. Kelley has two matches with ten or more kills, putting up a season-best 16 in the five-set win over Cecil College two weeks ago. She hit .364 in that contest. Against Lackawanna, she had ten kills and four solo blocks. Her best blocking performance came in her last match, putting up six solo blocks in the win against PSU Lehigh Valley. She also had seven kills on a season-best .462 hitting in the win.
 
Sophomore Sarah Ballek is third on the team with 40 kills, averaging 1.38 kills per set and hitting .122 on the year. Ballek leads her team with 15 aces on the year, she has 20 digs and nine solo blocks and nine block assists, both second on the team. Ballek met her season-high with eight kills twice this season, putting up eight in a win against Penn College, then a loss to Delaware Valley. Against Penn, she hit .294 and had a solo block and two block assists. Against Del Val, she hit .227 and had an ace and three solo blocks. She set a season-high for aces with five against Lackawanna, where she also had five kills and six digs in the loss to the Falcons. Against Lehigh alley, she had five kills on .214 hitting and four solo blocks in the win.
 
Sophomore setter Sophia Del Vacchio leads the team with 228 assists, averaging 7.86 assists per set. She also has 18 kills in seven matches, and her nine aces are third on the team. Del Vacchio has 53 digs this year, fourth on the squad. Five of her seven matches, she's put up 30+ assists, with a season-high 43 assists coming in the loss to Wilkes. She also had a pair of kills in that match-up, and a season-best 14 digs. She had 31 assists and a season-high three aces in the win against Keystone. Del Vacchio had two kills and 25 assists in the win against Lehigh Valley, and she had four kills, 42 assists, and an ace in the five-set loss to Lackawanna.
 
Noel Kaufman, now in her third year in charge, is the head coach for the Nittany Lions. Kaufman was an honorable mention USCAA All-American at PSU Schuylkill and transitioned to coaching soon after graduating from Schuylkill in 2021, taking over the Hazleton program.
 
About PSU Mont Alto
PSU Mont Alto (2-6) comes into the contest having lost five straight matches. The Nittany Lions fell in their latest match, a five-set classic with PSU York, this past Wednesday. The Lions from Mont Alto hit .107 for the match, and were outstanding at the net, putting up five solo blocks and 34 combined block assists. Four different Mont Alto players had ten or more kills, but the Lions had 32 hitting errors and gave up nine aces to the Lions from York.
 
As a team, Mont Alto is averaging 10.4 kills per set, hitting .155 as a squad this season. The Lions have 61 aces, 2.03 per set, and an average of 15.4 digs per set. PSU Mont Alto has 112 block assists and 29 solos this year, averaging out to 2.83 blocks per set on the season. Their opponents are hitting .143, averaging 12.2 kills per set, and have 69 aces on the year.
 
Middle hitter Gracie Vaughn, who crossed 1,000 kills for her career in the loss to York, leads the team with 73 kills so far this season, averaging 2.43 per set. Vaughn is hitting .246, second on the team among players with 90 or more attacks, and she leads Mont Alto in both solo blocks (17) and assists (36). Vaughn has three matches with ten or more kills and has twice hit her season-high of 13 kills, including in her last match, putting up 13 kills and 13 block assists in the loss to PSU York. She also had 13 kills on .200 hitting in a loss to Notre Dame of Maryland. Vaughn's best hitting match came in the opener against Penn College, where she had nine kills on .600 hitting.
 
Outside hitter Leslie Huckle is second on the team with 68 kills, a 2.27 average through eight matches. Huckle is hitting .117 on the year and has seven aces and 57 digs this season. Huckle has hit double-digit kills four times this season, with a season-high 18 coming against Notre Dame of Maryland, where she hit .324 and had 14 digs in the loss, also a season-high. She had a season-best three aces in a 3-0 loss to Mount Aloysius. Against York, she had eleven kills on .098 hitting, putting up six digs in the loss.
 
Outside hitter Elizabeth Trella is third on the team with 52 kills coming into the weekend, a two kills per set average. Trella is hitting .177 on the season, with 18 digs and eleven total blocks this year. She has twice hit double-digit kills, with a season-high 18 coming against Albright back on September 7^th, where she hit .220 and had six digs. Her other double-digit match came in her last one, going for eleven kills on .200 hitting in the loss to PSU York on Wednesday.
 
Setter Katie Sinks leads the team with 117 assists this season, a 3.9 assists per set average for the Lions. Sinks, who also has one kill, leads the team with 16 aces on the year, and has 68 digs, second on the team. Katie has six matches with double-digit assists, her season-high 24 coming in the 3-2 loss to Notre Dame of Maryland. She had 12 digs and a pair of aces in that loss. She had a season-best eight aces and nine digs, along with 21 assists, in the season-opening win against Penn College. Her season-best in digs came against PSU York, where she had 15 digs and 16 assists, along with her lone kill, in the five-set loss.
 
Randy Hood is in his seventh season as the head coach at Mont Alto. While this year hasn't been as strong a start, the Lions have been among the best among small colleges across the country, winning back-to-back USCAA national championships, with a second-place finish thrown in the year before, while winning two-straight PSUAC championships to boot. The Lions have never lost less than 12 matches in his career. The loss to York on Wednesday was the first time in nearly three years that Mont Alto had dropped a regular-season PSUAC match. Hood came to Mont Alto after leading the PSU Harrisburg team for two years, turning a one-win program into a ten-win outfit in just two years. He has coached at the HS level at Carlisle, Big Spring, and Boiling Springs, and was the head coach at Shippensburg for six years at the turn of the millennium, leading the Red Raders to a pair of PSAC tournament appearances. He is 119-57 in his seven years at Mont Alto.

The Match-Ups
Everything starts on Friday, September 13^th, when Lackawanna takes on Delaware Tech CC. The match will start at 5:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. Admission is free and open to the public, and there will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
Then, on Saturday, September 14^th, the Falcons will take Interstate 81 down to take on PSU Hazleton and PSU Mont Alto in tri-match action at the Hazleton campus. Lackawanna will face Mont Alto at 3:30pm ET, before then taking on the hosts at 5:30pm ET. There will be a video livestream available for the tri-match via Penn State Hazleton's YouTube channel, which can be found HERE.
 
The Falcons have a bit of a break before springing back into action next Thursday, September 19^th, when Lackawanna hits the road for a single match at Cairn University. That match is set for a 6:00pm ET start in Langhorne, PA.