Brandywine Opens Home Slate With 3-0 Triumph

MEDIA, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine volleyball team opened the home portion of its schedule with a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-18, 25-21) of conference foe Penn State Lehigh Valley on Thursday night.

Brandywine took control of the opening set with a commanding 9-1 lead following four consecutive aces from Sydney Stevens (Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. DuPont). Lehigh Valley cut the margin as low as six, but Stevens recorded another ace and Dana Palmer (New London, Pa./Avon Grove) added a kill as Brandywine pulled away, winning the first frame 25-13.

The visitors kept the second set close, trailing by just two at 17-15, but a kill from Mackenzie Kelly (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) began a 7-1 Brandywine spurt that included kills by Palmer, Laura de Jesus (Santo Domingo, D.R./New Horizons) and Amanda Floyd (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro). Brandywine claimed the set 25-18 following back-to-back Lehigh Valley errors.

Brandywine trailed for the first time all night during the third stanza, but took the lead for good at 20-19 on a kill by Floyd. Lehigh Valley tied the match at 21-21 before three consecutive errors and a de Jesus kill ended the set and match.

Floyd led the way offensively with 11 kills, while de Jesus produced seven and Palmer tallied four. Madison Swenson (Chadds Ford, Pa./Kennett) handed out 19 assists and added four digs. Stevens collected six of Brandywine's 13 aces.

On the defensive side, Suzie Alvarenga (Fullerton, Calif./Notre Dame Academy) tallied a match-best 17 digs, while Anna Ramirez (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) collected eight. De Jesus registered four blocks (three solo) and Jordan Thompson (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) recorded a pair of blocks.

Brandywine (3-1, 2-0 PSUAC) is back at home Saturday to face Penn State York at noon.