(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson women's volleyball team remained unbeaten at home this season, outlasting a determined Penn State Altoona on Wednesday night. The Red Devils jumped out to a two set lead but the Lions answered with a pair of hard fought battles to pull even and force a deciding fifth.

The Red Devils tallied 14 kills in the opening set to take a 1-0 lead, 25-21. The Lions kept things close with Dickinson gaining its biggest advantage at 19-13. Sophomore Norma Jean Park (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) led the way with four kills in game one while classmate Gillian Chan (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) closed out the set with back-to-back solo blocks.

The teams played to a 10-10 stalemate in the second before the Red Devils went on a run to pull in front, 17-11, on a service ace from senior Emily Smith (Victor, N.Y./Victor). Park added an ace and Erin Bongo (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) served one as well to give Dickinson a 25-20 victory for a 2-0 lead.

The Lions came out strong in the third as the Devils struggled despite four kills from Smith. Penn State finished the set strong to stay alive with a 25-21 decision. Park led the attack again in the fourth but the visitors would pull away at the end to force a deciding set, scoring the win in the fourth, 25-16.

Dickinson came out for game five with strong determination, jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead, forcing a Penn State timeout. They ran the lead to 5-1 and forced the Lions to call another timeout with the score, 9-5.

The Devils stretched the margin to 14-7 before one last push brought the Lions to within a point, 14-13, behind strong serving from Jenna Krivansky. The final serve was off the mark, however, and Dickinson held on for a 15-13 decision to capture the match and improve to 3-0 in the Kline Center this fall.

Park led the attack with 12 kills and three blocks. Sophomore Lauren Beecher (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) turned in another quality performance, adding 11 kills and 10 digs. Smith recorded a double-double as well with 10 kills and 18 digs.

Arielle Misrok (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) tallied 21 digs while first-year setter Hannah Smith (Victor, N.Y./Victor) handed out 36 assists to go with 12 digs in the match. Chan turned back five solo blocks, adding another on an assist while recording eight kills.

The Red Devils improve to 6-9 overall. They return to Centennial Conference action on Saturday, traveling to Swarthmore College for a 1:00 pm start.