GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Gettysburg College racked up 16 team blocks and rallied past Rowan University with five of the final six points in the decisive fifth set to pull off a 3-2 victory and complete a perfect weekend of volleyball at the Battlefield Classic inside Bream Gym. The Bullets took down Penn State Altoona 3-0 earlier in the day and moved their season record to 4-0.
 
Match 1

Gettysburg (4-0)	25	25	25
Penn State Altoona (1-1)	19	22	25

 
Gettysburg's Top Performers
- Zanze Kuba-McCoy '23 (Somerville, N.J./Somerville) – 18 Kills, 19 Digs
- Kylie Ulrich '24 (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) – 8 Kills, 8 Digs
- Sophie Nasir '25 (Covina, Calif./St. Lucy's Priory) – 16 Assists, 12 Digs, 2 Aces
- Chelsea O'Leary '24 (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) – 10 Digs
- Sarah Ellis '22 (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) – 16 Assists, 6 Digs
 
Penn State Altoona's Top Performers
- Lacee Barnhart – 12 Kills, 9 Digs
- Kayla Moran – 29 Assists, 6 Digs
- Erin Lutz – 17 Digs
 
Match Summary

• First Set: It was a slow start in the morning match with Penn State Altoona as Gettysburg found itself trailing by six (13-7) following three consecutive errors. The luck changed as the Nittany Lions started committing miscues to bring the Bullets back into the fold. The hosts scored eight of their next 13 points on service or attack errors by the visitors and jumped in front 20-16. Penn State Altoona tied the game with a four-point surge and took a 22-21 lead. Another attack error evened the score and Ulrich put Gettysburg back in front with a kill. After a temporary tie, a Kuba-McCoy kill was followed by a hitting error by Penn State to set the two-point margin.
• Second Set: Gettysburg controlled the action in the second set and posted its best hitting performance of the day by knocking down 40 percent of its attack attempts. Kuba-McCoy set an early tone and accounted for six kills as the Bullets surged out to a 15-11 lead. Ulrich took over late, accounting for three of the team's final four points on kills.
• Third Set: Penn State Altoona did everything in its power to force an extra set, forcing a dozen ties in the third frame. Right when Gettysburg looked to be seizing control with a five-point run which made it 14-11, the Nittany Lions broke the momentum with a timeout and came back to take a 16-15 lead. Back-to-back kills by Kuba-McCoy and an ace by Nasir regained the lead for the Bullets, an advantage they would not relinquish despite a series of ties. After an attack error forced a 24-24 tie, Kuba-McCoy put down a pair of spikes to close the win.

 
Where the Series Stands Now
Saturday's match was the first between Gettysburg and Penn State Altoona since 2014. The Bullets have won all four meetings with the Nittany Lions.
 
Double-Double Trouble
Kuba-McCoy set personal highs for kills and digs with her big double-double. She topped her previous personal best for kills by two and tied her career high for digs.
 
Match 2

Gettysburg (4-0)	24	25	25	28	16
Rowan (2-2)	26	23	19	30	14

 
Gettysburg's Top Performers
- Zanze Kuba-McCoy '23 – 16 Kills, 13 Digs
- Sarah Ellis '22 – 34 Assists, 5 Digs
- Chelsea O'Leary '24 – 23 Digs, 2 Aces
- Ingrid Bayer '22 (Falls Church, Va./Bishop O'Connell) – 10 Blocks, 2 Aces
- Kat Wilt (Madison, N.J./Madison) – 16 Kills
- Kylie Ulrich '24 – 15 Kills, 15 Digs
- Sophie Nasir '25 – 22 Assists, 2 Aces, 7 Digs
- Callie Pidoriano '24 (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) – 13 Digs
 
Rowan's Top Performers
- Brooke Adams – 62 Assists, 10 Digs
- Natalie Ogden – 23 Kills, 20 Digs
- Brianna Newson – 22 Kills, 6 Digs
- Simone Sparano – 19 Digs, 3 Aces
 
Match Summary

• First Set: After fighting back from a first-set loss to beat Gallaudet in the match prior, Rowan showed little weariness in pulling out a first-set victory over Gettysburg. The Bullets led for a large portion of the opening frame, including at 16-11 following a kill by Wilt. The Profs knotted the score at 18-18 before a quick three-point spurt by Gettysburg seemed to sway momentum back to the hosts. The Bullets had set point lined up at 24-22, but Rowan stormed back with the final four points, clinching the victory on a block by Cassidy Abdalla and Isabel Kirchner.
• Second Set: Things were even tighter in the second set with neither team holding more than a three-point lead at any time. Gettysburg led 10-7 on a kill by Wilt and Rowan jumped in front 17-15 on an ace by Sparano. The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch until two kills by Wilt put the Bullets ahead for good at 22-21. The Profs tied it up temporarily, but a kill by Kuba-McCoy and an emphatic block from Bayer and the junior high flyer set up Gettysburg for the final set point, which came via an attack error by the visitors.
• Third Set: The third set was the only set that was decided by more than two points, but it took a while before Gettysburg established control. Rowan led 15-14 following a black by Abdalla and Newson. The Bullets came back with three kills and a block by Kuba-McCoy and Bayer to jump back ahead 18-15. Bayer accounted for five blocks in the set, including a solo stuff on a back-row attack by Jackie Camponelli which set up the final set point for the Bullets.
• Fourth Set: Rowan had every intention of forcing a fifth set, taking control with a four-point run to grab a 12-8 lead and leading by as many as five in the set. Gettysburg clawed back to tie the match 20-20 on an ace by Bayer. The Profs fought off set point four times, with the last instance leading to three consecutive hitting errors by the Bullets to seal the 30-28 decision.
• Fifth Set: Gettysburg came out quickly in the decisive contest, tallying the first three points and securing a 6-2 lead on a kill by Kuba-McCoy. The Bullets led 11-7 before the tide turned. The Profs seized the advantage with a six-point run powered by four kills from Ogden. Wilt tallied a pair of kills sandwiched around a spike by Kuba-McCoy to set the Bullets back in front 14-13. Following the match's 38th tie, Bayer put down a kill and freshman Cat Holtz (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) tallied the final point when her attack attempt was misplayed by the Rowan defense.

 
Where the Series Stands Now
Gettysburg improved to 4-0 all-time against Rowan.
 
A Classic Start
Gettysburg has won 18 of its last 20 matches at the Battlefield Classic. The Bullets also won all four of their matches in 2017 and 2018 during that stretch. The event was a staple of the season schedule for 30 years (1989-2019) prior to the pandemic.
 
All-Tournament
Kuba-McCoy and O'Leary were each named to the Battlefield Classic All-Tournament Team. McCoy averaged 4.27 kills and 3.13 digs per set, while logging three double-doubles. O'Leary put up a team-best 3.73 digs per set and served seven aces.
 
Block Party
The Bullets posted 16 total team blocks in the win over Rowan, tying the team's best total over the last 11 years. Gettysburg also posted 16 blocks against Elizabethtown in 2014. Bayer's 10 blocks marked a personal high and she became the first Gettysburg player to hit double-figures since Sarah Gorski '14 against Ursinus in 2013.
 
Looking Ahead
Gettysburg heads to Messiah University for a non-conference tri-match alongside Lynchburg University on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m.