On April 2, the State College Little Lions faced off against the CD East Panthers at home in the North Gym, following a 3-1 road win against Chambersburg on March 31. Entering their fifth match of the season with energy and authority, State High secured a 3-0 victory over CD East.

Coming off the win against Chambersburg, the team was still unsatisfied with its performance and attacked CD East early with effort and hustle, leading to an all-around team victory for the Little Lions. 

“Last game against Chambersburg, we struggled. I mean, it just felt like we had a long bus ride, but tonight we were just after it. Balls were flying, everybody was diving everywhere, and, you know, we love to see that. So I kept the ball up, kept it in play, and that’s what helped this one,” junior libero Ty Miller said.

The Little Lions dominated the first set with a score of 25-13. Sophomore outside hitter Macon Workman led the team with six points in the opening set, while senior middle blocker Derrick Campbell added four points, taking advantage of State High’s size at the net. 

“The team, we came out with a lot of energy, which hasn’t been something for us at the start of the year so far. So it’s good to see our guys on the bench and even with a lot of the starters come out with a lot of energy and really help us produce on the court,” Campbell, the George Mason commit said. 

State High carried that momentum into the second set, winning 25-20. Sophomore Max Henning and junior Donovan Wales added a combined eight points, while sophomore Daeshon Hardison contributed four kills to help maintain control of the match. 

State High entered the third set strong but ran into trouble after allowing four consecutive points. CD East middle hitter Leo Fure helped lead the comeback effort, but it was not enough. The Little Lions held off the push and secured the set 25-20, sealing the sweep. Sophomore Kyle Coleman led the team with six points in the final set, while Workman added four.

“Tonight, I thought our [libero] did a really good job, Ty Miller. I thought both outside hitters were going, I thought our serving specialists did a good job tonight. We got some athletes to do some pretty cool things and be able to put pressure on the other team,” Head Coach Larry Campbell said.

With the win, State High improves to 4-1 on the season, with its only loss coming against Cumberland Valley. The Little Lions will return to action on April 21 when they’ll travel to take on Altoona.