STATE COLLEGE — The Little Lions opened their season with two-straight away games. Although facing the noise of an away crowd, State College earned a 2-0 record headed into their first home game of the year.
SC continued its undefeated start with a 3-0 sweep over familiar conference opponent Cumberland Valley.
“They’re (Little Lions) very steadfast at what they do in practice is what they produce on the court,” head coach Audrey McDonough said. “They hold each other accountable.”
It was a back-and-forth affair to open the first set between SC and CV. The Little Lions began to utilize the quickly formed student section to pull ahead to a 13-7 lead. After a sudden burst from State College, Eagles head coach Jackie Orner used her first timeout.
After the pause in play, the Little Lions advanced their lead to 23-9 before CV called its second timeout of the set. Shortly after, SC closed out the set with a 25-10 final.
The Eagles took the first set personally as they pressured the Little Lions throughout the entire second set. The largest lead in the set was 10-7 in favor of State College before Cumberland Valley would answer and tie quickly.
McDonough called her first timeout of the match with her team tied 21-21 late in the set. Shortly following the pause, SC would take the second set in a grueling 25-23 final.
“I think that (the timeout) was just a level set; identify what the team was doing, what was coming across the net at us, and be prepared for that, and also what our offense was going to be able to do to respond,” McDonough said. “Just keeping them focused.”
The Little Lions were fully focused heading into what would be the third and final set of the match. State College played much like it did in the opening set, earning a 25-16 final and a home opener sweep.
Eight players finished with kills for SC. Stella Cawley led the team with ten, with Nora Cawley not too far behind her with eight and Marie Mark with five.
“She (Stella Cawley) loves this game, and she plays 100% every day,” McDonough said. “She demands excellence from her teammates, and she’s ready to pick up everyone. Her team responds, and they play for each other. The girls just look at each other, and they know and depend on one another. It’s like, ‘Let’s go.’ They don’t let themselves get rattled.”
Additionally, five Little Lions earned aces in the victory. Lily Glenna led the way with four, with both Payton Lackey and Joslin Adams finishing with two.
The performance shown on the court from SC kept a packed student section loud all night. From yelling at the top of their lungs on a Cumberland Valley serve to nearly making their way fully on the court, a ruckus State College gym fueled the Little Lions to a 3-0 start.
“Tonight we turn the page. There’s the back end of the hurricane. We will see them (Cumberland Valley) again. They are going to get better, and we know that,” McDonough said. “But so are we. So it’s next-ball mentality, it’s next-game mentality.”
