ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley Volleyball team hit a season-high .416 to defeat Penn State Berks 3-0 in the team's home opener on Tuesday evening inside Sorrentino Gymnasium in Annville.
 
The Dutchmen (4-3) won by scores of 25-11, 25-19, and 25-13 while making a season-low eight errors on 77 attacks. LVC scored the first two points of the match before Berks scored four of the next five points to take a 4-3 lead. The Dutchmen responded with a kill from Mattea Penner, a service ace by Libby Lindau and a Berks attack error to retake the lead. Points by Taylor McInerney, Penner, and back-to-back blocks by Teaguen Reynolds enabled the Dutchmen to build a 13-6 advantage. The lead blossomed to 20-10 before LVC scored the next four points to bring it to set point. The Lions were able to hold the Dutchmen off for one point but an error on the following serve gave LVC the opening set.
 
Robyn Stepler opened the second set with an ace. Lindau and Penner made it 3-0 on a pair of kills. The Lions responded with five of the next six points to take the lead. LVC countered with the next five points as Lyla Arfanella served up two aces to make it 9-5 in favor of the Dutchmen. Penn State Berks outscored the Dutchmen 4-3 over the next seven points to cut the lead to 12-9. Cole and McInerney had kills and Penner recorded an ace to give LVC a six-point advantage. The Lions fought back and cut the lead to 16-14. LVC was able to get to 20 points first in the set as they held a 20-17 lead before using two kills by Cole and two kills by Penner to get to set point. The Lions were able to score the next two points, but Penner ended the set with another kill.
 
LVC got out to a great start in the third set as they won eight of the first 10 points. Berks was able to win three of the next five points to cut the deficit down to 10-5 but that was as close as they would get with LVC using a 6-2 run to break open the set. Another Arfanella ace gave the Dutchmen a 20-9 advantage before the Lions scored back-to-back points to cut the lead to nine points. LVC won five of the next seven points to close out the set and complete the sweep.
 
Inside the Box

• Penner had a team-high 12 kills and two aces with two block assists.
• Cole finished with eight kills and three total blocks.
• Stepler had 32 assists and one block assist.
• Arfanella had three of the team's 12 service aces and a team-high six digs.
• Lindau finished with seven kills, five digs and two aces.
• Abigail Souder and Sofia Okronley had five digs each.
• Reynolds had two kills and three total blocks.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will be back inside Sorrentino Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon as they host Hood College for a 1 p.m. non-conference battle.

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