Williamsport, PA- The Alfred State Volleyball team split their Saturday at the Lycoming Tri-match, as they battled back against Lycoming to secure the win 3-2. In their second match against Marywood, the Pioneers struggled to find their momentum as they took their first loss of the season.
 
Alayna Tomlinson led the Pios offensively with a total of 28 kills and 19 digs in both matches. Gloria Stem also added 24 of her own kills on the day. Gabriella Thurmond assisted in 58 attacks, 37 against Lycoming, aiding them in a big win.
 
In the first set against Lycoming, the Pioneers got a 2-0 lead off two Warrior errors. Unfortunately, they fell behind as Lycoming grabbed six points. ASC was able to tie up the set 6-6 as Tomlinson notched three consecutive aces. The Pios continued to battle each point hard but, after they earned their 15^th point, the Warriors went on a seven-point rally to take the first set win. The second set had the Pioneers and Warriors striving for each point. Lycoming was able to come away with the second set win, putting them up 2-0.
 
The third set was when the Pios found their energy, as Tomlinson kicked it off with a service ace and a kill, 3-1. The Warriors did not let up either, but Stem and Tomlinson dominated the floor which allowed them to pick up a set win. With the same fire going into the fourth set, the Pioneers grabbed three points immediately. Carmen Crowley followed suit, adding two kills of her own, taking the lead 6-2. Lycoming was able to notch a few points until Alfred went on a five-point rally giving them a nine-point lead 18-9. Stem closed out the set with a kill and a Warrior error, 25-12, tying the match up 2-2. Keeping the momentum up, the Pios notched nine immediate points that consisted of three Tomlinson kills and four Thurmond aces, 9-0. Lycoming could only grab eight points before the Pioneers closed it out with a Stem kill and a huge comeback win for the team, 3-2.
 
In the Marywood match, ASC struggled to find their grove as they took a first set loss 12-25. Tomlinson and Stem had two kills and Thurmond and Erin Gregoire each added one of their own. Set two saw the Pacers take a big lead on the Pioneers early in the set, 11-3. Even with nine solid attacks from the Pios, it simply wasn't enough as Marywood took the second set, 25-18. Alli Hillyard notched two kills in the third set in efforts to aid ASC in taking control over the third set but to no eval. The Pacers would close out the match, taking the third and final set 25-16.
 
The Pioneers will hit the road again next weekend as they head to Rochester, NY for the RIT Tri-Match, where they will take on RIT and Brockport, game time set for 11 am and 1 pm.