DUBOIS, Pa. — It was another edge-of-your-seat match for the Penn State DuBois women's volleyball team as it played host to Penn State University Athletic Conference opponent Penn State Beaver on Sept. 13. DuBois knew it was going up against a solid Beaver team in its first conference game of the season, but Coach Dave Alberts also knew that his girls were prepared. DuBois would go on to win the fourth set 25-17 and take the match 3-1.
The first set saw DuBois take a commanding lead with some stellar offense from the front line. With plenty of help from the DuBois crowd, the team registered 12 kills to put Beaver down 25-13 in a quick first frame.
Beaver Coach Barbara Jean Bertges put a fire under her team, however, and Beaver came charging back in the second set. DuBois struggled defensively with 12 errors in the second set alone. DuBois would struggle the entire set, and ended up falling 25-14 to tie the match at 1-1.
The DuBois crowd got back into it, and so did the team as it continued its front-line attack from Melody Young and Keara Schrefler. Another performance of double-digit kills (13) and solid defense with 17 digs and only three errors secured the third set for DuBois, 25-12.
The teams battled back and forth in an exciting fourth set, with humid conditions inside the gym forcing both coaches to take timeouts to give their girls a breather. DuBois took an early lead, but Beaver wasn't going anywhere, keeping DuBois only a few frustration points away. Finally, Alberts' team made a run, with another power front attack reaching double-digit kills yet again. Schrefler led the attack with five kills in the set, giving her a total of 13.
Young added her own line with nine kills and 11 digs, while libero Gabrielle Wolff contributed 13 digs to help bring her team a conference victory.