Devils edged by Lions in five-set volleyball thriller

CARLISLE, Pa. - The Dickinson volleyball team could not have envisioned a better start to their 2026 home opener on Wednesday night as they took the first set 25-7 from the visiting Penn State Altoona. However, the rest of the night was nip-and-tuck and despite 32 kills from junior Mallie Thomas it was the Lions who escaped the Kline Center with a 3-2 non-conference win.

First set (DC 25-7)

Kills from Jessica Currie and Thomas along with a pair of aces for Lora Flynn gave the home side an early 8-3 edge.

• Scores by Julia Emel and Johanna Heckman cut the margin to 9-5, before Emery Fishbach, Norah Oppenheim, Amanda Palo, Brenna Williams and Currie embarked on an 11-1 outburst making it 20-6.
• A kill for Hannah Swank slowed the charge for a second, but a pair of Thomas kills and singles by Fishbach and Oppenheim took the set 25-7.

Second set (PSU 33-31)

• Dickinson got out to another quick start with points by Currie and Thomas giving the hosts a 7-2 advantage.
• An ace and kill for Lia Simanski helped PSU to close within one 9-8.
• Contributions off the hands of Lora Flynn and Thomas bumped the DC edge up by two more to 17-14.
• Six of the next ten went the way of the Lions, pulling the gap once again to within one 21-20.
• Three Swank scores continued to keep the rally going for Altoona as they drew level at 24-24.
• Each team would fend off numerous set points, before a DC error and kill by Maggie Brewer ended things 33-31.

Third set (DC 25-23)

• Penn State had the early edge at 6-4, before two PSU miscues gave the Devils life 8-6.
• The Lions continued to hold the home team at bay with Peyton Wasson and Swank putting away points to bump the margin to 13-9.
• Dickinson then responded with kills for Caroline Cusson, Kylie Schner, Oppenheim and Thomas making it 17-16 DC.
• Single kills by Marlo Mellish and Swank brought the guests back ahead by one 19-18, however points for Fishbach, Oppenheim and Schner pushed DC closer to the set win at 22-20.
• An error and two Jayden Ulmer kills made it 23-23, but scores from Currie and Thomas capped it off.

Fourth set (PSU 26-24)

• The two sides shared the opening ten points, before kills by Cusson, Schner and Thomas kept things level at 8-8.
• After a kill by Wasson, a joint block from Fishbach and Oppenheim opened up a 6-0 push to take a 14-9 advantage.
• However, the trio of Makiya Mack, Ella Hadley and Swank trimmed the gap to 16-15.
• A missed serve by Swank then sparked a 7-3 run ending on a kill by Thomas for the 21-16 lead.
• From that moment on a kill for Simanski captured the momentum for the Lions as they ended on a 10-3 spurt for the 26-24 win.

Fifth set (PSU 16-14)

• The Simanski kills and three by Swank had the visitors feeling good as they jumped out to an 11-6 edge.
• Dickinson answered back with two Thomas kills and an ace by Avery Butcher (11-11).
• After the teams split the next six points the score read 14-14. Unfortunately for Dickinson, a kill by Wasson and block for Campbell closed out the match.

Dickinson leaders

Statistics for Dickinson were not provided in the original article.

Opponent leaders

Statistics for Penn State Altoona were not provided in the original article.