Volleyball three-peats as PSUAC Champions

October 23, 2010—University Park, Pa.

The second-seed Roaring Lions volleyball team made history Saturday night, completing a run at a rare third championship in a row in the PSUAC Conference Tournament, held in Recreation Hall on the University Park campus. The Roaring Lions (22-10, 14-2 PSUAC) took down one-seed Penn State Mont Alto 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-19, 25-20) for the third straight season to claim the title, avenging a regular season loss to the Lions back on September 19.

Sophomore All-American Leah Ambrosini and freshman Marney Hillen led the Roaring Lions offensive attack, recording 13 kills and 12 service points each. Junior All-American Alex Rossi added 12 kills, while freshman Caitlin Fidel contributed 12 service points and three blocks.  Junior All-American Katie Sleasman had another strong performance, dishing out 38 assists in the four sets.

This is the third straight year the Roaring Lions have won the PSUAC Championship Tournament, and their fifth title in six years. However, this is the first championship the Roaring Lions have won without being the number one seed entering the tournament. The three-peat is a rare occurrence in the PSUAC, as the Roaring Lions match Penn State New Kensington's late 1970s teams as the only ones to win three conference championships in a row.

The championship victory gives Fayette the PSUAC's automatic berth into the USCAA National Championships, to be held November 4-6 in Louisville, Ky. The Roaring Lions finished the 2008 and 2009 National Championships eighth and ninth in the nation, respectively.