ABINGTON, Pa. – The No. 10 seed Cedar Crest College volleyball team was eliminated from the United East Conference Championship Tournament with an 3-1 loss to seventh-seed Penn State Abington in a First Round matchup on Wednesday night.

The Nittany Lions took the match by set scores of 25-12, 19-25, 25-18, and 25-22.

The early stages of the opening set were tight as the teams traded the first eight points, 4-4. After a kill from senior Akashia Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) to make the score 5-4 in favor of the Falcons, Penn State Abington went on a 15-3 run to grab a 19-8 advantage. Cedar Crest scored back-to-back points, but the Nittany Lions finished on a 6-2 run to take the first set, 25-12.

The Falcons doubled up Penn State Abington 8-4 and 10-5 in the beginning of set number two. Cedar Crest went on to build a 16-8 lead after a kill by junior Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona). The Nittany Lions cut into the margin with a 7-1 run, which trimmed the lead to two, 17-15. The Falcons remained in front and held a 21-16 advantage following a kill from Johnson. Penn State Abington responded with three consecutive points, but Cedar Crest closed the frame on a 4-0 run to even the match at one set apiece with a 25-19 second set victory.

After the teams split the first six points of the third frame, 3-3, the Nittany Lions embarked on a 9-2 run to build a seven point-lead, 12-5. The Falcons responded with a 5-1 run to pull within three, 13-10. A 6-2 spurt by Penn State Abington pushed the margin back to seven, 19-12. Cedar Crest got to within five, 19-14, but the Nittany Lions would go on to capture the stanza by a 25-18 score.

The Falcons held a 7-3 lead in the start of the fourth set and extended its margin to five, 12-7, following a service ace by graduate student Ziah Melton (Allentown, Pa./William Allen). Penn State Abington would tie the frame at 13 after a 6-1 run. Cedar Crest eventually built a four-point lead, 20-16, but the Nittany Lions closed out the match on a 9-2 run to win the frame 25-22 and the match in four sets.

Everett paced the Falcons with 11 kills to go along with two assists, one service ace, one block, and one five digs. Melton tallied 10 kills, two assists, three service aces, and 17 digs. Johnson chipped in five kills and a team-best five blocks. Senior Daja Jackson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Gilbert (Ariz.)) contributed a double-double of 18 assists and 25 digs to go along with two service aces.

Junior Alyssa Flickinger (Harrisburg, Pa.) guided Penn State Abington with 15 kills, three blocks, and three digs.

The loss ends the season for Cedar Crest (9-17 overall). Penn State Abington (21-5 overall) advances to the quarterfinal round where they will face No. 2 seed Lancaster Bible College on Saturday, November 9.