Campus News

October 1st, 2026

Boyer helps GC close out Penn Highlands

Lady Lakers win fourth straight women’s volleyball match

McHenry, MD – Bre Boyer spends most of her time cheering on her Garrett College women’s volleyball teammates.

The Lady Lakers got the chance to return the favor last Thursday night as they swept visiting Pennsylvania Highlands Community College for their fourth consecutive win.

Boyer’s moment came with Garrett trailing the Black Bears, 18-15, in the third set. GC head coach Beth Campbell subbed in Boyer to serve – and the freshman responded by scoring three straight points on her service, including an ace, to create an 18-18 tie.

Boyer’s serving was part of an 11-2, match-ending run by the Lady Lakers, who also rallied late in the first set of a 25-22, 25-15, 25-20 win.

“It felt good to be some use to my team other than just cheering on the sidelines,” Boyer said after the win.

It felt good for her teammates, too.

“She’s our biggest cheerleader and we love her,” said freshman outside hitter Kyla Gilbert, whose team highs in kills (13) and service aces (six) played a big role as the Lady Lakers improved to 5-4.

“She is just a great person to have on your team,” Campbell said of Boyer. “She always does her best. There’s no one who keeps a sideline as excited as she does.”

Boyer needed to keep the sideline excited during the first set, which saw the Lady Lakers dig themselves a 17-9 hole. GC finished the set with a 16-5 run, breaking a 22-22 tie with three straight points that included an ace from Mia Barrios and a set-ending kill by April Etheridge.

“I think our energy, and the bond we have, really turned it around,” Gilbert said of Garrett’s first-set comeback.

“They just kept working at it and then our serving got better,” said Campbell. “They’re a really upbeat group. They don’t get down on themselves – they just keep trying.”

GC never trailed while dominating the second set, but the Lady Lakers once again had their hands full in the third. The Black Bears took an 18-14 lead on an Addison Manges kill, but a point-scoring tip by Teyla Holloway-Powers (team-high 22 assists) cut the deficit to three points and got back the serve.

Boyer then served three straight points, including her ace and a kill from Gilbert that created an 18-18 tie and led to a Black Bears timeout. Boyer’s wide serve gave Penn Highlands a 19-18 lead, but the Lady Lakers ran out the match with a 7-1 surge that included two kills and a point-scoring tip by Gilbert, and an Isabella Keneally service winner.

Gilbert ended the match with a cross-court kill as the Lady Lakers won for the fifth time in their last seven matches.

“Kyla is a great volleyball player,” said Campbell. “By nature, she’s a libero [back-row specialist], but we asked her to be an outside hitter, requiring her to take a lot of the workload.”

The Lady Lakers play at Harford Community College on Saturday at noon.