PHOTO GALLERY

The Lady Bearcats defeated Penn State-Behrend 3-1 in the opening round of the 2010 ECAC South Region Volleyball Championship Tournament in front of a packed Carey Center.

Scores were 25-18, 22-25, 25-23, and 25-14.

With the victory, the top-seeded Lady Bearcats earn the right to host the ECAC semifinals and finals on Saturday afternoon in the Carey Center.

Taylor Guido led the way offensively for Saint Vincent, posting 13 kills, while Diana Petrovich added 12, Dawn Timko seven, and Natalie Hozak six.  Devin McGrath posted 38 assists and five kills, while Timko, Petrovich, and McGrath each notched two blocks apiece.

In the evening's opener, the Lady Bearcats jumped out to a 5-2 lead, with Guido posting three of the points, before Behrend bounced back with a 5-1 run to jump in front 7-6.  The Lady Bearcats then put together a rally, scoring five of the next six points, capped off with a Brittany Hauser block, to go in front 11-7.

The hosts kept the momentum, and after four Behrend errors and emphatic kills by Petrovich and Timko, increased their lead to 18-11.  The Lions eventually pulled to within 18-14, but Saint Vincent pulled away down the stretch, with Hozak ending the set with a kill to give SVC the 25-18 decision.

Things started out the same for SVC in the second set, as the Lady Bearcats jumped out to an 8-4 lead, with Hauser, McGrath, and Guido tallying two kills apiece.  This time, Behrend put together a big rally, tying the match at 9-9 before capping off a 12-4 run to go up 18-12.

The Lady Bearcats looked to p ut together another late rally, and after a kill from Kaley Burkardt, found themselves down just 24-22, but Behrend would put the set away on the next serve to even the match at 1-1 with the 25-22 win.

The third set was also close throughout, with the teams sharing the first five points, before SVC embarked on a 6-1 run to go up 11-6 on back-to-back kills from Petrovich.  The Lions would eventually tie the game at 15-15, 16-16, 17-17, and 18-18, before kills from Guido and Petrovich gave SVC some cushion at 21-19.

Again, the Lions would come right back, tying the game at 22 apiece before taking a 23-22 lead.  However, SVC would storm back, with Guido tying the set at 23-23, and Hozak putting away the final two kills to win the game 25-23.

In the third set, Behrend kept the momentum, taking a 4-1 lead, before Saint Vincent awoke in a big way.  Back-to-back points from Petrovich, followed by a kill from Guido, gave the Lady Bearcats their first lead of the set at 5-4, but it was just the beginning of a furious Saint Vincent rally.

A Timko block would put SVC in front 7-4, and three Behrend errors would complete a 10-0 Lady Bearcat run that would make the score 12-4.   The eight-point advantage was more than enough for the hosts, as SVC would eventually open up a 10-point lead at 22-12 on a Petrovich kill.  A put-down from Emily Rosati made the score 24-14, before the match ended on a Lion error that would finish the scoring at 25-14.

The victory improves the Lady Bearcats' record to 23-11, while the Lions will end the season with a 19-12 mark.  Saint Vincent will return to action on Saturday, taking the court at 12 noon against fourth-seeded Penn State-Altoona, which defeated Moravian 3-1 in quarterfinal action on Wednesday.

The 2:00 semifinal match will be between Bethany and Swarthmore, while the championship match will take place at 5pm.

Live streaming video of all three Saturday matches will be available online HERE.