LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven volleyball team (7-5, 2-2 PSAC East) wasted no time breaking in the Thomas Fieldhouse crowd in its 2023 home opener, as the Bald Eagles soared to a 3-1 (25-18, 19-25, 25-19, 25-22) Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division victory over Millersville University (6-9-1, 1-3 PSAC East) on Friday night (Oct. 6).
 
In front of a packed crowd at their annual White Out Match, the Bald Eagles used a quick start to steal the first set 25-18.
 
Lock Haven used 15 kills and an impressive successful hitting percentage of 43 to take the set.
 
Millersville rebounded to take the second set 25-19, but the Bald Eagles immediately bounced back with a 25-19 and 25-22 victory in the third and fourth sets, respectively.
 
Lock Haven stole the momentum to close out the third set thanks to standout play from Emma Kelly (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Ranch). Kelly tied the contest at 19-19 with a ferocious kill, before taking over serving duties for five consecutive points to close out the match.
 
The Bald Eagles closed out the fourth set in similar fashion, scoring the final three points after Millersville knotted the score at 22-22.
 
In her first home game of her career, freshman Sabrina Valentin (Ovideo, Fla./Paul J. Hagerty) led the offensive attack with 13 kills at nearly a 40 percent hit rate. Evie Jane Rembold (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) finished behind her with 10 kills, while Kyleigh McDermit (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) and Kelly added nine and seven kills, respectively.
 
Kelly Gaston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview) controlled the middle of the court with a game-high 39 assists and five digs, while Madison Eckley (Julian, Pa./Bald Eagle) led the team with 13 digs. Natalie Acevedo (Camuy, Puerto Rico/Paula Freire Social Justice Charter School) added eight digs.
 
NEXT UP:
The Bald Eagles return to Thomas Fieldhouse tomorrow night (Friday, Oct. 7) to host West Chester University in a PSAC East match.