Oct. 21, 2007
MADISON, Wis., - The second-ranked Penn State women¹s volleyball team survived its second five-game contest in as many matches, outlasting No. 8 Wisconsin (30-18, 24-30, 24-30, 30-27, 15-13) to remain undefeated in Big Ten action at 10-0, improving to 18-2 overall. The Badgers fall into second place at 9-1 in the league and 17-2 overall.
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led the Lions with 23 kills and junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) notched 17 kills and junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) chipped in 16 kills on .444 hitting. Freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) contributed nine kills as redshirt freshman opposite Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) notched eight kills.
Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 62 assists as junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) led the squad with 13 digs and Hodge posted 10 for her 21st double-double. Fawcett notched nine digs and Glass and senior Kate Price (Fraser, Mich.) tallied eight digs.
Penn State recorded 15.0 team blocks to Wisconsin¹s 8.0. Harmotto and Brown led the squad with six blocks each as Wilson posted five, Hodge notched three and Glass recorded two.
Brittney Dolgner led Wisconsin with 27 kills as Taylor Reineke and Audra Jeffers each contributed 13 kills. Jackie Simpson dished out 64 assists and libero Jocelyn Wack provided 22 digs. Jeffers led the squad with four blocks.
A Fawcett service ace started off the decisive fifth game and a Hodge kill put Penn State up 5-3 and the teams traded points before three Wisconsin kills and a Lion attack error gave Wisconsin the 8-6 lead heading into the side change. Out of the television timeout, a Harmotto kill brought the Lions within one at 7-8 and a Fawcett cross-court kill tied the game at 8-8. A Penn State service error put Wisconsin back on top, 9-8, but the Lions responded with a block from Glass and Wilson to tie the game at 9-9. A Wisconsin putaway was quickly followed by a Fawcett kill to knot the score at 10-10 and a Jeffers kill for the Badgers was answered by a Hodge kill before a Wisconsin net violation while blocking gave the Nittany Lions the 12-11 lead and forced a Wisconsin timeout. Out of the break, a solo Brown stuff pushed the Lion cushion to two at 13-11 and caused another Badger timeout. Out of this break, a Wisconsin attack sailed long to make it 14-11 but the Badgers responded with kills from Dolgner and Reineke to pull within one at 14-13. Following a Penn State timeout, a Harmotto kill off the block gave the Lions the game, 15-13.
A Hodge kill gave Penn State the early 5-2 lead to start the match and two more Hodge kills out of the backrow put the Lions up 8-4. A Fawcett kill and solo Wilson block of Simpson made the Penn State advantage 10-5 and forced a Wisconsin timeout. Out of the break, a Badger attack error and Brown kill down the line kept the Lions on top, 12-6. Kills from Harmotto and Fawcett and a Hodge backrow rollshot putaway extended the Penn State lead to 15-10 and sparked a 5-0 Lion run capped by a Fawcett and Wilson block to put Penn State ahead 19-10. A Wisconsin kill and block out of a Badger timeout pulled Wisconsin within seven at 19-12 but two more Fawcett kills aided Penn State in going up 21-13. The teams traded points and Harmotto and Hodge kills and a monster Hodge solo block extended the lead to 26-15 before a solo Glass block ended the game, 30-18. Hodge led the squad with six kills on an errorless eight swings to hit .750 as Fawcett and Harmotto added five and four kills, respectively.
The second game remained even early on, with a Hodge kill and Badger attack error put the Nittany Lions up 5-4, but Wisconsin scored eight of the next 10 points, including seven on kills, to force a Penn State timeout at 12-7. Out of the break, two Brown kills sandwiched a Wisconsin kill and a Hodge cutshot down the line pulled the Lions within three at 13-10. The Badgers responded with three consecutive kills to push their advantage to 16-10 but a Penn State block from Harmotto and Brown halted the run. However, another Wisconsin kill from Reineke and two Lion attack errors forced a Penn State timeout with Wisconsin ahead 19-11. The teams traded kills and following a Badger kill from Reineke, a Wisconsin attack error and two Wilson kills brought Penn State within six at 21-15. The squads exchanged kills twice and a Hodge and Wilson block and a Fawcett service ace down the line forced a Wisconsin timeout with its lead trimmed to four at 23-19. A Badger attack error out of the break brought Penn State within three at 23-20 but a Dolgner kill, consecutive Lion attack errors and a Badger block from Dolgner and Reineke put Wisconsin ahead 27-20. A Wilson and Brown block and Harmotto kill trimmed the Badger lead to five at 27-22 and following a Lion service error, two Hodge kills pulled Penn State within four at 28-24 but a Reineke kill and Simpson solo block gave Wisconsin the game, 30-24. Wilson led the Lions with five kills on an errorless seven swings to hit .714.
Wisconsin grabbed the 3-0 lead to begin the third game before Penn State fought back to tie the game at 4-4 on a Harmotto kill. Four ties ensued, with a Wilson kill making it 8-8, and the Lions scored the next four points on a Wilson solo block, Hodge kill down the line, a Badger attack error and another Hodge kill to go up 12-8. But Wisconsin scored four of the next five points to pull within one at 13-12. A Badger attack error and Hodge ace put the Lions up 15-12 and the teams traded points twice before a Wisconsin block from Reineke and Simpson tied the game at 16-16. Three ties ensued before Badger kills from Wack and Dolgner and a Lion attack error put Wisconsin up 22-19. A Wisconsin ball-handling error coupled with a Hodge and Harmotto block brought Penn State within one at 22-21 but the Badgers responded with a kill from Dykstra to push their lead back to two at 23-21. A Hodge kill once again closed the gap but a Badger putaway and back to back Penn State attack errors put Wisconsin ahead 26-22. A Harmotto kill made it 26-23 but two more Badger kills extended their lead to 28-23. A Fawcett kill pulled the Lions within four at 28-24 but Wisconsin kills from Wack and Jeffers gave the Badgers the game at 30-24. Hodge led the Lions with six kills in the contest.
Wisconsin knotted the fourth game at 4-4 with a service ace but consecutive Badger errors and a Harmotto and Glass block gave Penn State the 7-4 lead. Following a Wisconsin kill from Simpson, a Fawcett putaway and Harmotto ace to the deep corner made it 9-5. A Badger kill and Simpson ace off the tape brought Wisconsin within two at 9-7 but three Badger attack errors coupled with a Fawcett kill put the Lions up 13-7. Wisconsin kills from Dolgner and Jeffers and a Lion error pulled the Badgers within three at 13-10 but a Fawcett kill halted the run. A Hodge kill made it 15-11 and a Wisconsin attack error and block by Brown and Harmotto put the Lions up 17-11. The teams traded kills and two Badger kills trimmed Penn State¹s lead to four at 18-14. Back to back Harmotto kills gave the Lions the 20-14 advantage but two Penn State errors and a Wisconsin kill from Jeffers pulled the Badgers within three at 20-17 and forced a Lion timeout. Out of the break, a DuPont overpass kill continued the run but a Fawcett kill put Penn State ahead 21-18. A Wisconsin kill and block and a Lion attack error knotted the game at 21-21 and five ties ensued before a Hodge kill and Badger attack that went long put Penn State ahead 28-26 and forced a Wisconsin timeout at 28-26. Out of the break, a Glass overpass kill gave the Lions game point at 29-26 and a Reineke kill made it 29-27 before a Fawcett kill gave Penn State the game, 30-27. Fawcett posted seven kills in the stanza.
Penn State remains on the road, taking on Iowa and Minnesota next weekend, Oct. 26-27 before returning home to host Purdue and Indiana on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2-3. The match with the Gophers will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 12:00 p.m. ET, a change from the original broadcast time of 1:00 p.m. ET. The Saturday, Oct. 27 contest will also be broadcast live on the web on ESPN360.com.