COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Allegheny volleyball team opened up play at the 2025 Pam Briggs Classic at Capital Friday (Sept. 5) with a pair of matches.
 
The Gators fell to the host Comets in three sets before they bounced back with a five set win against Hanover.
 
Match One - Capital 3, Allegheny 0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-9)
 
The Comets led early in the first set, but a 4-0 Gator run tied the game before giving them a lead, 10-7. The teams continued to exchange runs as they found themselves deadlocked at 23 late in the set. The Comets earned the first set point but Carlee Pepperman (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area) tied it back up with a kill. However, Capital won the ensuing two points to take the opening set 26-24.
 
Capital gained the lead early on in the second set. The Gators pulled within two points, 18-16, midway through, but the Comets ultimately took the set 25-20.
 
The third set saw the Comets limit the Gators offense as they won the set 25-9.
 
Inside the Box

• Pepperman led the team with 11 kills to go alongside seven digs.
• Skyler Fatola (Queen Creek, Ariz./Eastmark) had eight kills.
• Izzy Gray (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) tallied 21 assists.
• Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.)) finished with 23 digs. 

Match Two - Allegheny 3, Hanover 2 (18-25, 21-25, 27-25, 25-23, 18-16)
 
The teams were evenly matched through the midway point of the opening set, finding themselves tied at 16. However, the Panthers closed the set on a 9-2 run.
 
Once again, the Panthers and the Gators found themselves even midway through the set, 12-12. They continued to battle as the Panthers built a small lead. The score remained close, but Hanover took the set 25-21.
 
The Gators jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the third set. The Panthers slowly chipped away at the lead and tied it at 24. After trading points, Pepperman and Fatola tallied kills as the Gators captured the set 27-25.
 
The teams were evenly matched in the fourth before the Panthers jumped ahead, 17-11. The Gators battled back, tying the set at 21. After the teams found themselves tied at 23, an attack error followed by a Pepperman kill gave the Gators the fourth set, forcing a deciding fifth set.
 
The Gators took a 4-1 lead in the fifth set before the Panthers went on a 3-0 run to tie it. The teams continued to trade points before Hanover earned the first match point at 14-13. The Gators staved off a pair of match points as an ace by Duru Akbas (Ankara, Turkey/Layton Christian Academy (Utah)) gave them their first match point at 16-15. The Panthers won the next point, but a Pepperman kill gave the Gators another chance. On the next point, a bad set by the Panthers gave the Gators the match point as they completed the reverse sweep. 
 
Inside the Box

• Pepperman finished the game with 17 kills and 17 digs.
• Amaya Brooks (North Olmsted, Ohio/Lutheran West) has 16 kills while Fatola had a dozen.
• Carly Beers (Warren, Pa./Warren) had eight kills and three solo blocks.
• Reilly Mendez (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos) produced seven kills.
• Gray had 31 assists and 19 digs while Joanna Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) had 16 assists.
• Diaz had a career-high 40 digs to go with four aces.
• Akbas had 13 digs and five aces. 

News and Notes

• Allegheny is now 8-8 all-time against Capital and 3-3 all-time against Hanover.
• Diaz had a career-high 40 digs. 

Up Next
The Gators conclude play at the Pam Briggs Classic at 25th-ranked Otterbein Saturday (Sept. 6).