LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Lock Haven women's volleyball team soared to a 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22) victory over visiting Shippensburg on Friday afternoon at Thomas Fieldhouse to move into a tie for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division.
 
With the victory the Bald Eagles improve to 12-5 on the season and 5-1 in the PSAC East and a tie for first place in the division. It also marks the first season sweep for The Haven against Shippensburg since 2014.
 
Shippensburg falls to 12-7 on the year and 3-3 in conference play.
 
Lock Haven's offense was firing on all cylinders as the Bald Eagles finished with 58 kills, a .247 hitting percentage and 11 service aces. The Haven also held an 87-78 advantage in digs.
 
Maddie Mitchell powered the Bald Eagles' attack with a match-high 17 kills, while Avery Smith delivered a dominant performance at the net, finishing with 12 kills on 19 attempts without an error for a remarkable .632 hitting percentage.
 
Gracelynn Wolzen added 10 kills on a blistering .571 hitting percentage, while Payton Stanton contributed eight kills, three solo blocks and a block assist.
 
Natalie Gibson continued to orchestrate the Lock Haven offense, dishing out a match-high 44 assists while adding 12 digs, three kills and three service aces.
 
Defensively, Olivia Taylor was sensational, anchoring the back row with a match-high 41 digs, while also contributing six assists and three service aces. Taylor's 41 digs were 23 more than any other player in the match.
 
Reagan Irons added an impressive all-around performance with six kills, 11 digs and three service aces, while Natalie Acevedo chipped in two aces and seven digs.
 
The Bald Eagles came out swinging in the opening set, hitting an impressive .371 with 15 kills and just two errors to secure a 25-20 victory.
 
Lock Haven followed with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the second set to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Shippensburg refused to go quietly, responding with a 25-21 victory in the third set to extend the contest.
 
However, the Bald Eagles slammed the door in the fourth, putting down 15 kills to seal the 25-22 victory and continue their impressive stretch of conference play.
 
Next up for The Haven:
The Bald Eagles return to Thomas Fieldhouse tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, Oct. 10) at 1 p.m. to host East Stroudsburg in PSAC East play.