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)