Brandywine Falls In Straight Sets At Berks

READING, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine volleyball team saw its four-match winning streak come to an end as the Lions fell in straight sets at Penn State Berks on Thursday night by scores of 25-17, 25-14, 25-17.

Nicolette Napoleon (Springfield, Pa./Penn Charter) led Brandywine offensively with seven kills, while Lauren Kelly (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East), Nikki Poissant (Aston, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) and Rikelle Taylor (Nottingham, Pa./Solanco) all collected five kills. Sullivan Stark (Middletown, Del./William Penn) dished out 20 assists.

On the defensive side, Becca Civera (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) posted 15 digs, while Poissant added nine digs. Napoleon and Hannah Sarafinas (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) both amassed three blocks.

Berks jumped out to a 14-7 lead during the opening set, but Brandwine rallied with eight of the next nine points, tying the match on a kill by Stark. The teams traded points before five-straight tallies from Berks gave the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Berks carried the momentum into the second set, scoring the first five points, and opened up an 11-point edge on two occasions to build a two-set edge.

Brandywine held a 15-14 advantage during the final set, but a combined five kills from Alexis Horst and Abbie Carr would help Berks close out the match.

Brandywine (6-2, 1-0 PSUAC) returns to its home court for the first time in 15 days on Saturday when the Lions host Penn State Lehigh Valley at 1:00 pm.