Oct. 26, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., - Sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) racked up 19 kills on .607 hitting with 12 digs for her 22nd career double-double to lead the second-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team to a three-game win (30-21, 30-25, 30-15) victory at Minnesota Friday night. The Nittany Lions improve to 19-2 and 11-0 in the Big Ten while the Golden Gophers fall to 12-9 and 5-6 in league action.
Hodge's 19 kills led all players as junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) notched 13 kills. Junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) notched six kills and redshirt freshman Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) also tallied six kills. Penn State attacked at a .402 clip for the match while holding Minnesota to hitting .068.
Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 38 assists and Hodge led the defense with 12 digs as junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) recorded nine digs and Fawcett posted eight while Glass tallied seven.
Penn State outblocked 13.0 to 3.0, led by Harmotto with six, Glass and senior Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.) with five each and Hodge with two.
A Harmotto solo block and a Minnesota attack error gave Penn State the 5-3 lead to start the match but the Golden Gophers used a kill and three Nittany Lion errors to grab the 8-7 advantage. A Glass kill and solo block sparked a 9-0 Penn State run capped by a Walbridge and Glass block to put the Lions ahead 16-8. A Gopher kill from Hagerty halted the run and Penn State maintained the advantage at 18-12 on a Brown kill. Another Brown kill coupled with a Glass kill off a great dig from freshman Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) pushed the Lion lead to 23-15 and forced a Minnesota timeout. Out of the break, the teams traded points and a Fawcett kill along with two Gopher errors gave Penn State the 27-16 lead. Minnesota claimed four of the next five points to pull within eight at 28-20 before a Walbridge kill ended the game for the Lions, 30-21. Fawcett, Harmotto, Glass and Hodge all recorded three kills in the stanza as the Lions tallied four team blocks, including two each from Glass and Walbridge. Penn State attacked at a .355 clip while holding Minnesota to hitting .023.
The second game started off with the teams close, a Hodge kill giving Penn State the 5-2 lead. Minnesota clawed back to tie the game at 9-9 on a 4-0 run capped b a Hagerty kill. The teams traded points twice before Lion kills from Brown, Hodge and Fawcett, along with a Price ace, put Penn State up 15-11. The Gophers took three of the next four points to pull within two at 16-14 and the squads traded points twice before a Minnesota kill brought the Gophers within one at 18-17 before another putaway knotted the game at 19-19. Two Hodge kills and a Minnesota attack error following an amazing diving D'Errico save from near the endzone bleachers that was punched over by Glass put Penn State up 22-19. The Nittany Lions maintained the slim lead, going ahead 24-22 on a Hodge kill, but it was answered by Gopher kills from Roehrig and Jones to tie the game at 24-24 and force a Penn State timeout. Out of the break, two Fawcett kills and a Hodge putaway from the backrow gave the Nittany Lions the 27-24 advantage. A Walbridge kill out of a Minnesota timeout pushed the lead to four at 28-24 and following a Penn State service error, a Fawcett kill and Fawcett and Walbridge block ended the game, 30-25. Fawcett and Hodge both recorded seven kills in the set.
A Gopher attack error, one block by Walbridge and Hodge, another from Walbridge and Brown, and a Hodge kill sparked a 4-0 Lion run to start the game and Penn State never looked back. A Glass kill, Harmotto block and Hodge ace extended the lead to 13-3 and a Walbridge kill and block by Harmotto and Hodge pushed the score to 18-7. Two Hodge kills and a Fawcett putaway gave Penn State the 21-8 lead and back to back blocks, one from Harmotto and Glass and another by Harmotto and Fawcett put the Lions up 23-9. Kills from Harmotto and Fawcett continued the run, 25-10 before a Hodge kill made it 26-12 and another Hodge kill gave Penn State the game, 30-15. Hodge racked up nine kills in the game.
Penn State remains on the road, taking on Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. CT in Iowa City, Iowa. Friday's match between the Golden Gophers and Nittany Lions will air on ESPN2 on a tape-delay basis on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 12:00 p.m. ET.