Early-Season Volleyball Action
College Volleyball Teams Navigate Early-Season Tests As Conference Play Begins Nationwide
Anonymous
Women’s volleyball teams across the region and the ACC are entering conference play after notable early-season performances. No. 9 Penn State fell to No. 16 Tennessee in four sets, dropping to 8-2 after 22 attack errors and 13 service errors, despite strong showings from Kennedy Martin and Ryla Jones. Penn has also started 8-2, winning a tournament title and building a lengthy winning streak behind standout defense from libero Addison Pollock and strong play from Haley Kerstetter. Keystone improved to 9-5 with a sweep of Brookside, extending a dramatic rebuilding-year turnaround and moving into second place in its league, while freshman Izzy Todd recorded 14 kills and 10 digs. Wheeling opened Mountain East Conference play with a five-set win over West Virginia State and will host Fairmont State as it begins divisional competition. In the ACC, undefeated No. 2 Pitt leads five ranked teams into conference play, including upcoming ranked matchups against SMU and Stanford.
Key Points
1
Tennessee improved to 9-1 and won its fourth consecutive match, led by Kennedi Rogers’ match-high 21 kills and 10 digs; Caroline Kerr added 42 assists and 10 digs.
2
Penn’s early success includes a six-match winning streak—the program’s longest since 2019—after opening the season with a five-set loss to Stony Brook. The Quakers are averaging 13.38 assists per set, ranking 10th nationally, while Addison Pollock averages 5.45 digs per set, second in the NCAA.
3
Keystone’s turnaround has been driven by a young roster featuring five sophomores and two freshmen; the Wildcats had won only 10 games combined over the previous two seasons before reaching nine victories in their first 14 games this year.
4
Pitt’s 10-0 record includes five victories over ranked opponents, while the ACC has collectively recorded 17 wins over AVCA Top 25 teams. Stanford was selected as the preseason favorite to win the ACC championship by the league’s coaches.
5
Wheeling’s win over West Virginia State featured a decisive fifth-set response: after the match was tied 2-2, the Cardinals took an early 6-2 lead, hit .455 in the final set and finished with a 15-7 victory.
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