Oct. 6, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Oct. 6, 2007 - Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) pounded 23 kills as the third-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team swept No. 11 Minnesota (30-16, 30-25 30-26) Saturday night in front of 3,126 fans at Rec Hall to remain undefeated in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions improve to 14-2 and stay tied for first in the Big Ten with Wisconsin at 6-0. The Golden Gophers fall to 12-4 and 5-2 in league action.
"We had a good energy at the start of the match and we played as well in the first game as we've played all year long," said head coach Russ Rose. "I thought we did a nice job of ball-handling and executing the game plan. Minnesota is a terrific opponent and they're strong in every position. It was a nice win for us."
In addition to Fawcett, sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) contributed 14 kills and junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) added in nine kills. Redshirt freshman opposite Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) and freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) each notched four kills in the match.
Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directed the offense with 46 assists and added three digs as junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) recorded a match-high 13 digs. Hodge added 11 digs for her 19th career double-double.
Penn State outblocked Minnesota, 12.0 to 8.0, led by Fawcett, Harmotto and Wilson with five stuffs each as Glass posted four.
Lauren Gibbemeyer recorded nine kills for Minnesota while Kyla Roehrig posted seven and Brook Dieter notched six. Rachel Hartmann dished out 24 assists and Christine Tan provided nine digs as Hartmann led the blocking front with four stuffs.
The Nittany Lions started the match out on fire, going up 5-0 aided by two Harmotto kills and a block by Harmotto and Glass to start the contest and force a Minnesota timeout. Penn State continued the onslaught, going up 10-3 on kills from Hodge and Fawcett and a Fawcett solo block. A Harmotto kill made it 17-7 and a Brown put-away extended the Lion lead to 20-11. Another Brown kill made it 24-14 and following a Hodge kill, two Fawcett kills ended the game, 30-16. Fawcett collected seven kills in the stanza as Harmotto posted four.
The second game remained close early on before a Fawcett kill and consecutive Hodge put-aways gave Penn State the 10-5 advantage. The Nittany Lions maintained the lead, going up 18-11 on a Harmotto kill and block from Glass and Wilson. But Minnesota fought back to knot the game at 19-19 aided by two Dieter kills and a block by Kelly Schmidt and Katie Vatterrodt. The squads traded points twice and a Gopher attack error and a Holehouse service ace gave Penn State the 23-21 lead. The teams exchanged kills before a solo Harmotto block put the Nittany Lions up 25-22 and forced a Minnesota timeout. Out of the break, a Gopher block by Dieter and Hartmann brought them within two at 25-23 but a Harmotto kill and Hodge service ace put Penn State ahead 27-23 before two Fawcett kills ended the game, 30-25. Fawcett and Hodge both recorded seven kills in the set.
Penn State claimed the 11-5 lead to begin the third game on a Fawcett service ace and three Minnesota errors. A Wilson kill made the score 13-7 but the Nittany Lions gave up some points on errors and let the Gophers back in as a Gibbemeyer and Hartmann block and a Gibbemeyer ace aided Minnesota in tying the game at 15-15. The squads exchanged kills and two Gopher errors and kills from Fawcett and Wilson pushed the Lions up 20-16. Penn State maintained the slight advantage, going ahead 25-22 on a Hodge kill and 27-23 on a triple block from Fawcett, Glass and Wilson before a Hodge kill ended the game, 30-26. Fawcett pounded nine kills on .462 hitting in the game.
Penn State remains at home, hosting Ohio State in a mid-week match on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Rec Hall in a match that will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions then welcome Michigan to Happy Valley on Friday, Oct. 12 at 8:00 p.m.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.