Lock Haven Defeats Cheyney and Seton Hill

The team went out of the weekend 3-0. We had some tough patches at times and were challenged at moments but we rose to those challenges and handled business like we needed to. Saturday we had two matches, the first was against Cheyney. This match gave us the opportunity to play athletes that don't normally get to play as much. We did what we needed to do to get the win, with strong serves and being aggressive at the net. The next match we had was Seton Hill. We came out strong against them in the beginning and won the first game. We lost game two by 3 and then came back to dominate in the last 2 games. The third game of this match was our best performance of the day. We executed well offensively and our back row picked up a ton of balls. A win is a win we always say and our goal was to come out of the weekend 3-0 and that is exactly what we did. At times we did not perform like we should have, but we came back and did what we needed to do to pull out a win. We ended the weekend 20-9 overall and 12-3 in conference. This puts us in a good place for placement in the region. 

-Toryn

Erin Walsh, Beth Burns, Alex Brehony

Haven Digs Pink Against West Chester

This past Friday we faced the Golden Rams of West Chester in our second Dig Pink match. With a big crowd we downed them 3-1 carrying on our winning streak to 6. Throughout the game we sold Dig Pink t-shirts and pink chocolate ribbons to support breast cancer and the Side-out foundation. This win put us at 11-3 in our conference. With a lot of energy on the court and help from the crown, we had a big offensive game driven from solid first contacts on serve receive and digs. With the support from other Haven sports and students, this game was extremely fun and gave us the right mind set for our matches against Cheyney and Seton Hill on Saturday. 

-Jess

#12 Gao Xuan, #8 Bailey Farthing, #10 Alex Brehony

Haven Prepares for West Chester, Cheyney, and Seton Hill

The team is excited about this weekend as we play two conference and one non-conference match. Tonight is our second Dig Pink game and we will play West Chester University. The team is very excited because we are playing the game we love and supporting the fight against breast cancer. For the past month we have been raising money for the Side-Out Foundation by selling raffle tickets, t-shirts, cookies, and chocolate breast cancer ribbons. We have been preparing all week by watching film and creating a strong game plan. On Saturday we will play Cheyney and Seton Hill. The team has been talking about having a strong weekend and getting three more wins to add to our record. We are looking forward to seeing everyone wearing pink and cheering on the team. 

Haven Beats Virginia Union and Concord

Saturday was homecoming and a successful, fun day for the Lock Haven volleyball team. We played two games; the first was against Virginia Union early in the morning, and then Concord in the late afternoon. Virginia Union gave us a chance to try new things. We were able to get experience for the future of the Lock Haven volleyball program. We also had a couple people injured, so others stepped in when needed and got us the win. Staying strong and playing hard we took a 3-0 win starting off the day.

Concord was another successful 3-0 win for Lock Haven. Right away everyone on the court played hard and didn’t let the slow rhythm on the other side of the net slow us down. We dominated them and sent them home early. Our defense and offense was on spot the whole match, we showed them what Lock Haven volleyball was really about. Finally finding our state of mind to start strong and end strong in a match that you could say would be easy for Lock Haven.

Also during our successful day of volleyball, we had a successful day of our BBQ CampBacon Cookout for all to enjoy.  All day people came in to watch our games and enjoy some very good food. All in all the whole day was a fun successful , enjoyable day. 

-Laura

Lock Haven vs Kutztown Recap

This past Friday we traveled to the home of the Kutztown Golden Bears who has been a rival match for us for a long time and it’s always a pleasure to see how our team handles games like this.  We prepared mentally and physically for this rival match against another PSAC East team, with a lovely speech given by retiree Tom Justice 5 minutes before the bus left which was a great little pep talk to remind us how bad we needed to KILL THE BEAR!  We had a good game against them last year with a 3-0 win and continued that with another 3-0 sweep.  Our team came ready to play with a great amount of energy, and we all worked as one team to help this happen.  Kutztown put up a good fight by keeping a close trail behind us each game pushing us to see how bad we really wanted to win.  It was an amazing atmosphere to be in with our lovely Lock Haven fans that are dedicated to watching our team succeed and coming to support with a lot of energy as well.  It was awesome getting to once again be a part of KILLING THE BEAR!

-Kendra

Lock Haven Travels to Kutztown, Host Virginia Union and Concord

We play Kutztown tomorrow and that was a big game for us last year and still is this year. We worked hard at practice strategizing and making a game plan the past few days to prepare for this match. We have not only put in work on the court but off the court as well, watching and getting mentally prepared for this game. We play away so we need to remember to bring the energy we have from our fans with us to Kutztown’s gym. The whole team knows what is needed from each of us to win this game. We have suffered from a few injuries but I am sure that we wont let that take away from the importance of this game or the flow of our team. I am sure we will still come out with great energy and fight. KILL THE BEAR!!!!

-Kaleigh

Monica Brown 

This weekend Lock Haven Volleyball has a lot planned. Friday we are traveling to Kutztown University to take on the Bears in a PSAC East match-up, and Saturday we’re back in Thomas Field House to play Virginia Union and Concord, two teams from our region.  Saturday is homecoming weekend here at the Haven, and our team is also hosting the Camp Bacon fundraiser. Come on down to the field house after 11am Saturday to get delicious food and check out one of our matches!

We started the week off strong with a win over East Stroudsburg, which was also our Dig Pink match. Wednesday we hit the gym and got to get some quality practice time with the new drill “Chaos”. Thursday was a long practice working on the fundamentals, but then we got to finish with some 6v6 play, which is everyone’s favorite.  So I’d say we’re definitely ready to play this weekend.

-Cody

Haven Digs Pink and Gets Win Over East Stroudsburg

The Dig Pink Game is one of our favorite games of the year. We spend weeks preparing for it by selling t-shirts, tickets, and spreading the word. So when the big day comes, our team is anxious as we filter into the gym one by one. Sitting in the training room I remember looking around at everyone in their pink attire (shirts, socks, bows, hair ties and even pink hair).  It made me realize how important this day was to us. Breast Cancer has affected each of our lives in different degrees and this is a day to remember our loved ones who we have lost and celebrate those who have survived.

The atmosphere in the gym was electrifying for warm-ups. The team was excited that our big day was coming together. Friends, family, and people in the community were filing into the gym sporting their pink attire supporting us, supporting the fight against Breast Cancer. Soon enough it was time to play. After the jitters settled and the girls adjusted to a couple new lineups the team was unstoppable winning the third set 25-10. Individually, Grace hit an outstanding .471 on the night, Xuan had 10 kills, Bailey had 7 blocks, Alexa had 27 assists and Erin dug 12 balls. Not only was I proud of them, but also proud of the subs that did their jobs when called upon.

To say the least, we did good things last night. We played good volleyball and raised money for a good cause. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Side-Out Foundation and attended our game. And a special thanks to the Zeta’s for selling t-shirts and collecting donations. See you all on October 26^th for our last Dig Pink Game!

-Beth

Alexa Garrity

Lock Haven Prepares for Dig Pink Match Against East Stroudsburg

October is finally here, so everybody knows what that means, right? It is breast cancer awareness month! And tomorrow’s game has been deemed our Dig pink match. Not only is it one of our favorite matches to prepare for, it is also the most significant since some members of the team have lost family members due to breast cancer. The Dig Pink match is a fundraising event initiated by the Side-Out Foundation, which to whom all the proceeds go to. They not only award grants to medical research organizations, but they also give hope and support to cancer patients and their families.

The team (Dan especially) and I have a lot of fun trying to gather everything that comes in the color pink, and finding a way to pack it in our gym.  And with our nails painted pink, our socks dyed pink, and our skin temporary tattooed pink, we plan on using the same fire and drive cancer patients fight with every day, to battle our opponents the East Stroudsburg warriors. We humbly accept that this game is about a cause much bigger than us, and I am really proud of my team and every other team in the PSAC in their awareness and fundraising efforts. It is really cool to be a part of a program that cares.With that said, COME OUT TO OUR GAME loud and proud, and in pink! There will be t-shirts for sale, 50/50 raffle tickets, and a donation jar all awaiting your generosity! 

-Bailey

Please click on the link below to donate to the Side- Out Foundation. The Side- Out Foundation was founded for volleyball teams to help support the fight against breast cancer. 

http://www.side-out.org/application/ous/fundraising_page/2666

LHU Falls to Millersville, but Beats Shippensburg

This weekend Lock Haven Volleyball had traveled down to Millersville and Shippensburg to take on two more PSAC East teams. We left Friday at 2pm to head down to Millersville, PA for our first game of the weekend. When we got down there it was just a normal game day and started our daily warm-up routine. As it got closer to game time, we huddled around to talk about our game plan, and that was to win this game.

We went back and forth in the first set with the Marauders as they take the first set 25-22. We all came off the court annoyed that we had just lost the first set to Millersville. As we step on the court for the second match we pushed to make a big lead and to not look back. We took the second set 25-15 keeping a large lead in that set. In the third and fourth set we let the Marauders take the victory away from us as we settled down and played down to their level and had to play the game Millersville wanted us to play.

The next morning we went to Shippensburg to play one of our rivals in the PSAC east. We walked into the gym knowing that it was time to play Lock Haven Volleyball and give it all we can and to not look back. We knew we had to take care of business and this was a big game for us. Before the game we talked about stopping one girl so that they had to find another way to beat us. In the end they couldn’t find another way to beat us as we take the first two sets, and the fourth. We played as a team and all had the goal and right mindset to win this game.

 As a team, we walked away from this weekend knowing that we cannot take any team lightly. We need to come out as a team from start to finish and play like it is our last game. Another thing we learned is that it does not matter who is on the other side of the court, when we put on our Lock Haven University jersey’s that nothing else matters and that it is time to take care of business and play as a team. We start back up on Monday to get ready for our Dig Pink Game on Tuesday at home against East Stroudsburg and Kutztown on Friday.

~Alex

# 9 Grace Novacek, # 21 Kaleigh Hudak, # 15 Alexa Garrity (photo courtesy of LHU Athletics)

Lock Haven Volleyball Prepares for Weekend at Millersville and Shippensburg

This past weekend Lock Haven volleyball accomplished something that has not been done in the program for 4 years. We stepped onto the court to face off against California University and beat them. The feeling of beating a team that we have not yet defeated was unexplainable. We went away from what was arguably the most important weekend of our season with a record of 3 and 1, defeating the reigning PSAC champions. That being said we have a big weekend coming up starting on Friday night against Millersville University and continuing right into the next day facing Shippensburg University.

I believe what we were able to accomplish this past weekend will have an impact on what we are capable of doing this weekend. We are coming out of the weekend with a lot of confidence and "swag" as some teammates like to refer to it as. This weekend is important to us because it is PSAC East competition. Shippensburg is currently second in the conference, so we must be prepared to compete when we step in the gym. Millersville University is also a team that can not be overlooked.

We have been working hard all week in practice, competing against each other trying to make everyone better. We have also been in the weight room preparing for our competition. We are working on some different things that will help us have an edge over the teams we are facing. Watching film has given us an idea of what these teams are capable of doing and we are well prepared for what is going to be coming at us. If our team continues to play with the confidence we had this past weekend, we will have no trouble defeating anyone we compete against.

-Alexa

 

Junior middle Bailey Farthing # 8 (photo courtesy of LHU Athletics) 

LHU falls to Clarion, but Beats Cal!

This past Friday Lock Haven Volleyball traveled to Clarion University to face Clarion University and the reigning PSAC champs California University. We knew going into this past weekend’s competition it was going to be tough so we had to be prepared. At 11:30 a.m. we faced Clarion University. We started off very strong in the first set winning 25-12. Our offense was unstoppable, defense was letting nothing hit the floor, and everything was clicking. Unfortunately, in the second and third set we let clarion get away with two wins but then came back and won the fourth set not backing down. Finally, in the fifth set we were back and forth with Clarion but they ended up taking the win 15-12. It was definitely a heart breaker for us because we knew we should have defeated them. Fortunately, we accepted the loss and learned from it. If we were to compete against Clarion again we will not let them defeat us a second time around.

 

After the loss against Clarion we were all pumped for our next match against California University. California has been our rival for years.  The past four years we have lost to Cal in the PSAC’s, regionals and in conference play. We were not going to let that happen for the fifth year in a row. Stepping out on the court to face Cal we were all determined to fight and play our hearts out. The first two sets we won with our stunning offense, determined defense and a confidence that was astonishing. After taking the first two from Cal they were not happy, fought hard and took the third set from us winning 25-18. This made us want to work even harder and show them that we will not back down. The fourth we controlled our side of the net and we played incredible Volleyball and defeated Cal 25-14.

The rush of excitement that went through our veins after defeating California University was unexplainable. The amount of pride we have in each other after this weekend is astounding. We went into this match with a goal and achieved it. This showed us that we are capable of anything and nothing will stop us. 

-Erin

LHU Volleyball Team

Recap of Slippery Rock and IUP

This past Saturday, Lock Haven Volleyball traveled to Slippery Rock University to play Slippery Rock and Indiana University. After Friday’s two huge matches, we started a little slow, but with our loaded offense and tight defense, we finally dominated the game and got the win against Slippery Rock. 

For the second game against IUP, we wanted to not go more than three sets with them. However, it didn’t start the way that we wanted it to. IUP got the match point of the first set and we were 3 points behind, but we never gave up and showed everyone that we are able to control the game. We got 5 points in a row to beat IUP who was holding 3 match points in the first set. For the last two sets, we were definitely dominating the game, and did not even give them a break. Well done and we met the goal of 3-0 against IUP!

For this cross-over weekend, by facing the toughest teams in our conference, we finished our goal of 3-1. The most important thing is that we all know what we can do, what we are able to do, and what we can accomplish. The following weekend, we are going to the east play against Millersville and Shippensburg University.

-Xuan

Gao Xuan 

LHU takes on the West in this weekend's PSAC Crossover

This weekend Lock Haven Volleyball travels to the west to face some of the toughest competition in the region. Friday we head to Clarion University to take on the home team and reigning PSAC Conference champs, California University. Our weekend doesn't end there, Saturday we make our way to play the always tough Slippery Rock and Indiana University. Our success in this crossover tournament is crucial to earning a high ranking in the region which would set us up for a successful post season.

This week we've been making the necessary preparations for these teams. We have looked at a decent amount of game tape to get scouting reports, but mostly focusing on our own game in practice. This week's practices have been filled with a lot of technical skill work along with a high level and amount of competition. We've made a couple trips to the weight room as well to maintain that LHU strength! We believe that Clarion and Cal U will be our tougher matches this weekend so we've been focusing on their tendencies. We know that both teams have a loaded offense, as do we, so we've been working hard on our defense starting at the net with our blocking and into the back row with scrappy pursuit. These two teams are huge targets for our team, last year we beat Clarion in a riveting 5 set match to go to the PSAC Championship where we played Cal who took the win in our home gym, so we definitely have the drive and desire to beat these two long-time western team rivals. 

We depart at 7am Friday!

Go LHU!!!!!    #HavenNation

A Recap of Cheyney and West Chester from Grace

This past weekend, Lock Haven Women's Volleyball traveled to the always sunny city of Philadelphia to play two PSAC East teams.  On Friday, we faced Cheyney, which was a great opportunity for us to try new things on the court and start off eastern conference play on the right foot.  It was awesome to watch and cheer on my teammates and to see the definite shape and direction of our future team.  Individuals showed their unique playing attributes that I usually overlook when I am caught up in practice or a game, and I was proud to see the growth and development of some of our younger players.  Staying on the attack all game, we got the 3-0 win with confidence.

    Saturday afternoon, we were up against West Chester and, keeping the Lock Haven tradition of never losing to them, we swept the Golden Rams 3-0. Driven by solid first contacts on serve receive, our offense had one of our most dominating performances of the year, making the game extremely enjoyable on our side of the net.  This was one of our best weekends overall and it certainly showed our clear progress as a volleyball team.  At this point in the season, we are at the perfect time to be putting it all together.  We are benefiting from more in-depth and detail-oriented practices as we prepare for our second cross-over tournament this weekend against some of the toughest teams in the west.

-Grace

#9 Grace Novacek, #10 Alex Brehony (photo courtesy of LHU Athletics)