Nov. 7, 2009
IOWA CITY, Iowa - In front of a record volleyball crowd of 2,802 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team defeated Iowa, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-13). The Nittany Lions are now in sole possession of third place in the NCAA record books for consecutive wins with 90.
Senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led the Nittany Lions with 12 kills and junior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) was the only other Penn Stater with double-digit kils with 11. Junior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) finished third on the team with nine kills, but had a team-best .533 attack percentage. She also led the squad with five total blocks. Junior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) registered 15 digs in the match and senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) paced the Penn State offense with 35 assists.
The Nittany Lions led the way in all statistical categories finishing the night with 42 kills, 40 assists, six aces, 48 digs and 10.0 total team blocks. Penn State posted a .319 hitting percentage against the Hawkeyes. Iowa totaled 35 kills, 29 assists, 32 digs and just 4.0 total team blocks.
Hodge opened the match for Penn State with a kill and a PSU block gave the Nittany Lions an early 2-0 lead. The Hawkeyes answered back with two kills to tie the set, but Hodge tallied another to put the Nittany Lions back in the lead. After Iowa tied Penn State a second time at 3-3, Brown gave PSU the lead for good with a back row kill. The Hawkeyes remained close until a kill from junior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) and a PSU block followed by an ace put Penn State ahead, 8-4. Despite a Penn State error, a Dorton kill kept the Nittany Lions up by four, 9-5. By midpoint of the set Penn State led by seven, 15-8. The Hawkeyes came within five, 17-12, thanks to a kill by Mallory Husz. However, the Nittany Lions were soon within four points of a first set win after back-to-back kills from Wilson. A Hodge kill and an Iowa error put Penn State two points closer to a win, 23-13. Two kills by Iowa's Becky Walters and one each from Megan Schipper and Tiffany Nilges had the Hawkeyes within six, but Penn State closed out the set with a kill and a block for a 25-17 victory.
The Hawkeyes took a 4-1 lead in the second set, but soon after Penn State was within one, 5-4, thanks to a Balza kill. The Nittany Lions did not take the lead until a D'Errico ace gave them a slim 7-6 edge. Penn State increased its lead to three, 11-8, after two Wilson kills and one from Brown. Iowa setter Mara Hilgenberg answered with a kill to bring the Hawkeyes within two, 11-9, but an Iowa error and a PSU ace put the Nittany Lions up by four, 13-9. The Hawkeyes soon found themselves within one, 13-12, courtesy of two PSU errors and another Walters kill. Brown kept Iowa at bay with a kill and Schipper registered an attack error to give the Nittany Lions some room to breathe. The breathing room was short-lived as Iowa tied the set, 16-16, after a Husz kill and a Penn State attack error. The score tied twice more, but Penn State was soon ahead by two, 20-18, with a Hodge kill straight down the line. After a Hawkeye timeout, a PSU kill and an error by Nilges gave Penn State a four-point lead, 23-19. Iowa came within two, 24-22, thanks to a kill by Aimee Huffman. Brown secured the set for Penn State with a kill, 25-22.
Wilson opened the third set with a kill before an Iowa error had Penn State leading 2-0 early. A Penn State error put the Hawkeyes on the board, but the Nittany Lions notched two points on a kill and a block for a 4-1 advantage. Penn State increased its lead to five, 7-2, on a monster kill by Hodge, but two Schipper kills and a Nittany Lions error had the Hawkeyes within two, 8-6. A block by Husz and Hilgenberg brought the Hawkeyes within one, 8-7, but Brown put one away to put Penn State back ahead by two, 9-7. Penn State went on to tally seven straight points for a 16-7 advantage and Iowa took a timeout. After the timeout, Emma Kittle and Husz teamed up for a block to make it 16-8. Brown answered with a kill to keep Penn State ahead by nine, 17-8. Penn State's lead grew to double-digits, 18-8, on a triple block, but two PSU errors had Iowa within seven, 18-11. Errors began to plague the Hawkeyes as the set began to come to a close giving Penn State a 23-12 lead. One kill each by Wilson and Hodge gave Penn State a 25-13 third set triumph.
The Nittany Lions are back in action Friday, Nov. 13 versus nationally-ranked Illinois. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State welcomes Northwestern to Rec Hall on Saturday, Nov. 14 for a 7 p.m. matchup. Live stats and live audio will be available for both matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.