Defensive specialist Amanda Ardinger’s diving rescue helped bring the women’s volleyball team a win during the Lady Pioneers’ rally against Carlow University last week in the Student Center and Convocation Center.”The defense, that desire is always started with first ball contact,” Point Park University Head Coach Mike Bruno said after the home match. “Kids like Ardinger, they are just good collar, hardnosed kids, they’re relentless. Those are the type of plays that really can change the momentum of a match.”In the end, Point Park won its second ever matchup at the Student Center in front of a crowd of 250 people, defeating Carlow three sets to zero and improving its record to 15-3 on the season.The United Student Government (USG) also gave out volleyball T-shirts with the new athletics logo, as well as led the crowd in cheering on Point Park.”I love it,” Bruno said. “To have these kids play in front of their friends and campus community is just what it’s all about.”A big factor in the match were the nine aces hit by Point Park. Leading the team with four was defensive specialist Alyssa Hall.”It’s definitely important, because it’s a point right away,” Hall said last Wednesday, in the Point Cafe.Point Park started fast in the first set, winning by a score of 25-14. Hall noted that the crowd support in the Student Center gave them a huge boost.”It was really exciting,” Hall said. “It’s kind of a smaller gym, so especially for them, it is very intimidating. I am a junior now, and the past two years, we have never had that many kids come, and it felt very good to have everybody come and watch.”In the second set, the team was trading points until they pulled away late in the set winning 25-21.”At that point it is more mental, because you know what you are supposed to do, and everyone can do it, but it is just concentrating mentally and staying focused throughout the whole set,” Hall said.Point Park pulled away early in the third set and played their reserves and lost three match points, prompting USG to cheer, “one more point.” The team got that point and a 25-13 set victory when Carlow had a service error.Point Park then went on the road against rival Walsh University losing three sets to zero in three close sets.”We have another chance against Walsh,” defensive specialist Margaret “MJ” Gillooly said in a phone interview. “It was a tough match. We were in their home gym, they have a lot of fans and as a team they are very loud and energetic.”The team ended their week with back-to-back matchups at the tri-match at West Virginia Wesleyan College and defeated both Fairmont State and host West Virginia Wesleyan by scores of three sets to zero improving their record to 17-4.”Fairmont State have a good program and cannot be taken for granted,” Gillooly said. “When we were at their tournament, we got to watch them and scout them a little bit.”Gillooly also noted how they once again played a team which hosted the tournament and how it has made the team become battle tested on the road.”Just looking at our schedule and what we have done so far, we are really road tested,” Gillooly said. “We’re always traveling, and we’re always on the road, but it’s important to be resilient and go after them [opponents].”Next up for the team are three matches in three consecutive days as Point Park will be on the road to play Houghton College, Roberts Wesleyan College and Daemen College as AMC play resumes.Gillooly acknowledged the difference in this type of playing as opposed to playing in a tournament in one gym and playing match after match.”It is kind of neat that we can just play a night, be done, and then kind of have the next day. It’s just different because it’s not all jam packed into one day and you can take your time and focus,” Gillooly said.            There still is one more match to be played in the Student Center and that is on Friday Nov. 4 when Point Park faces Houghton.