Nov. 21, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 21, 2007 - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team defeated Ohio State in three games (30-22, 30-21, 30-21) Wednesday night in Columbus, Ohio. The Nittany Lions improve to 27-2 and 19-0 in Big Ten while the Buckeyes fall to 13-15 and 7-12 in the league.
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led all players with 15 kills as junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) added in nine kills. Freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) chipped in seven kills on 12 errorless attacks to hit .583 as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) notched six kills and redshirt freshman opposite Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) provided five kills. As a team, Penn State attacked at a .350 clip while holding Ohio State to .083 hitting.
Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 36 assists and added four kills. Junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) recorded a match-high 16 digs as Hodge posted nine.
Penn State outblocked Ohio State, 12.0 to 4.0, led by Harmotto and Wilson with six apiece and Brown with five. Fawcett recorded four stuffs as Glass added in two.
Katie Dull led the Buckeyes with 10 kills as Danielle Meyer recorded eight. Briana McCarthy dished out 31 assists and Meyer and Ami Stevens tallied 10 digs. Kristi Hunter and Kristen Dozier each provided two blocks.
Penn State took the 8-4 lead on a Harmotto overpass kill to start the match and went up 11-6 on two more Harmotto kills and a Hodge put-away. The Nittany Lions maintained the lead, taking the 14-9 advantage on a Brown kill but Ohio State fought back, scoring the next five points to tie the game, 14-14. Another Brown kill and a Buckeye attack error put Penn State back on top 16-14. Following an Ohio State kill from Hunter, A Wilson kill, Holehouse ace and an Ohio State attack error put Penn State back on top 19-15 and a Glass kill made it 21-17 before consecutive Buckeye attack errors put the Lions up 23-18. Following an Ohio State timeout, a Lion block from Fawcett and Harmotto along with a Hodge ace gave Penn State the 25-18 lead. The teams traded points four points before a Hodge kill ended the game, 30-22. Harmotto and Hodge each provided four kills for the Lions as Fawcett and Brown each notched three. Penn State outhit Ohio State, .350 to .194 for the stanza.
The second game remained close early on, with a Fawcett kill putting Penn State ahead 10-6. Ohio State pulled within one at 12-11 on a kill but a Hodge put-away pushed the lead to two at 13-11. A Glass kill and a Glass and Harmotto block made it 17-13 and another block, this one from Wilson and Fawcett, made it 19-14. The Nittany Lions remained in control, going up 24-16 on a Fawcett kill and block from Wilson and Brown. Kills from Hodge and Glass, coming off a diving Price dig, made it 29-19 before a Hodge kill ended the game, 30-21.
An Ohio State kill and ace from Meyer tied the third game at 5-5 but a Harmotto kill, Fawcett and Harmotto block and a Hodge ace put Penn State ahead 8-5. A Glass and Wilson block made it 10-7 and a Hodge kill and D'Errico ace pushed the Lion lead to 16-8. Two more Hodge kills coupled with a Brown and Harmotto block extended the advantage to 18-9. But a Lion service error and two Ohio State blocks pulled the Buckeyes within seven at 19-12. The teams traded kills and an Ohio State attack error and a Lion block from Harmotto and Fawcett gave Penn State the 22-13 lead. But the Buckeyes responded with the next three points to pull within 22-16. A Buckeye service error out of a Lion timeout put Penn State up 23-16 and two Fawcett kills and a Brown and Wilson block made it 27-18. Ohio State captured three of the next four points on kills but kills from Hodge and Fawcett made it 29-21 before a Brown and Harmotto block ended the game, 30-21.
The Nittany Lions finish out the Big Ten schedule at Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 5:00 p.m. in a match that will be televised on a tape-delay basis on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The NCAA selection show is slated for Sunday, Nov. 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Championship will be held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at campus sites, and Rec Hall will host one of four NCAA Regional Championships on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8. Friday's semifinal matches are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the winners of each contest squaring off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. live on ESPNU. The winners of each of the four NCAA Regionals travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the National Semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 13, with the National Championship match scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.