ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball rallied for a 3-2 victory over Penn State Berks in a United East Conference match on Saturday afternoon inside Lees Gymnasium.

The Falcons took the match by scores of 25-18, 18-25, 25-20, 16-25, and 17-15.

Cedar Crest held a 4-3 lead in the early stages of the opening set. The Nittany Lions followed with 6-0 run to go up 9-4. Later in the stanza, with Penn State Berks leading by three, 14-11, the Falcons closed on a 14-4 run to win the set, 25-18.

The Nittany Lions jumped out to an 8-5 lead, highlighted by a 7-1 run in the second set. In the latter stages of the frame, Penn State Berks built a 16-12 advantage. Cedar Crest responded with three consecutive points to pull to within one, 16-15, capped off by a kill by graduate student Ziah Melton (Allentown, Pa./William Allen). The visitors then finished on a 9-3 spurt to capture the set by a 25-18 score.

The Falcons doubled up the Nittany Lions 8-4 to begin set number four. Penn State Berks replied with a 6-2 run to knot the score at 10. The Nittany Lions were able to create a little separation, going up 15-11, but Cedar Crest responded with an 8-1 run to grab a 19-16 advantage. After Penn State Berks trimmed the margin to one, 19-18, the Falcons closed on a 6-2 run to take the frame 25-20.

The Nittany Lions raced out to a big lead in the fourth set, 18-11, and came away with the 25-16 set win to force a fifth and deciding set.

In the deciding frame, Penn State Berks doubled up Cedar Crest 10-5 and then held a five-point lead, 12-7. The Falcons stormed back with a 7-0 run to make it match point, 14-12. The Nittany Lions tied the score at 14 points apiece and then the Falcons concluded the set on a 3-1 mini-run, finished off by a kill from Melton to capture the set, 17-15, and the match in five sets.

Junior Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona) turned in a team-high 12 kills to go along with eight blocks, four digs, three service aces, and one assist. Melton followed with nine kills, one assist, one block, and seven digs. Senior Liberty Jackson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Gilbert (Ariz.)) had eight kills, two assists, one service ace, and nine digs. Sophomore Tianlly Davila (Frederick, Md./Governor Thomas Johnson) pitched in a double-double of 32 assists and 15 kills while also tallying four kills, six service aces, and two blocks. Graduate student Rebekka Sanchez-Castro (Columbia, Md./Atholton) collected a team-high 19 digs in addition to five kills, two assists, and three service aces.

Sophomore Katelyn Williams (Lancaster, Pa.) registered a match-best 14 kills for to go along with three assists, two service aces, one block, and 16 digs for Penn State Berks.

Cedar Crest (7-12 overall, 2-2 United East) returns to the court on Tuesday, October 15 at Lancaster Bible College. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. Penn State Berks (4-11 overall, 0-3 United East) will next play at Saint Elizabeth University on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.