The Lakeland volleyball team traveled to Butler County today to play the Erie Kats and Butler Pioneerrs in non-league action. Lakeland took game one against the Kats by a score of 3-1 before dropping the nightcap to the Pioneers 3-1. Against the Kats, Lakeland had tremendous serving as they recorded 18 total aces. Taylor Williams-Stevens and Sydney Park each recorded 6 aces. Park also had a strong game at the net recording 17 kills while also picking up 14 digs. Williams-Stevens also recorded 7 kills, 4 blocks, and 5 digs. Abby Karasek finished the game with 6 kills and 11 digs while Alyssa Lino added 5 kills and 6 blocks. Zoe Babnik recorded a team high 39 digs for the Lakers while Gianna Biondolillo added 17 digs and 2 kills.

Against the Pioneers, Sydney Park again led the Lakers with 16 kills and 11 digs. Taylor Williams-Stevens continued her strong net play with 7 kills and 8 blocks. Samantha Winter (6 kills and 4 digs) and Abby Karasek (4 kills, 16 digs, and 5 aces) both had strong all-around games. Zoe Babnik recorded 43 digs while Gianna Biondolillo added 24 digs for the Lakers. Alyssa Lino also recorded 8 blocks in the defeat.

Watts' Word: I was please how we opened our season - showed grit, whits, and unity. Zoe really sparked the team with excellent digs and saves. She also showed excellent ball control. Our front row provided a strong presence; Alyssa was strong both offensively and defensively at the net and Taylor had some great kills. Sydney also did a great job with the kills and finding holes in the blocks. Abby played very smart while Gianna made some great passes that allowed us to run a fast paced offense. Sam did an excellent job setting while also picking her spots for some kills. It was a really nice team effort today.

Player of the Game: Zoe Babnik