Sept. 18, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The second-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team improved to 9-1 after handing Princeton a 3-0 (25-8, 25-8, 25-13) setback Saturday morning. Freshman Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.) had a career-high six kills and sophomore Marika Racibarskas (Chatham, N.J.) had a personal-best two blocks against the Tigers.
Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) led the team with 12 kills on .647 hitting. Senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) was second on the team with seven, while junior Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.) tied with Martin with six. Freshman Mikinzie Moydell (Parker, Colo.) paced the offense with 17 assists, splitting time with sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) who posted nine. Senior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) had a match-high 16 digs, while Kabbes and senior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) led the Nittany Lions with four blocks apiece.
The Nittany Lions registered a .417 attack percentage tallying 39 kills, 32 assists, five aces, 50 digs and 9.0 total team blocks. Penn State held Princeton to a -.048 hitting percentage, 19 kills, one ace, 39 digs and zero team blocks.
Carpenter opened the match serving 11 straight points before a PSU error put the Tigers on the board. Leading 11-1, Penn State increased the gap to 12 points, 14-2, capitalizing on two Princeton errors. Chelsea Parker put down a kill for Princeton, but Penn State embarked on a 5-0 run for a 19-3 advantage. Princeton called its second timeout of the match and managed to register five more points before Penn State closed out the set. Two Wilson kills, one each from Kabbes and Balza and an ace from junior Megan Shifflett (Falls Church, Va.) gave Penn State a 25-8 first set win.
The second set began much like the first with Penn State leaping out to a 5-0 lead. Two straight kills by the Tigers put Princeton within three, 5-2, but two Tigers errors and two Penn State kills had the Lions ahead by seven, 9-2. A small 4-1 run by PSU gave the Nittany Lions a 12-4 lead and sent the Tigers to the bench for a timeout. Unfazed by the timeout, Penn State continued on a 6-0 tear for a sizeable 18-4 lead. A service error by PSU turned the ball over to the Tigers, but Martin put the ball back in PSU's hands with a kill. With a 20-5 lead, the Nittany Lions closed out the set with the aid of five Princeton errors for a 25-8 set two victory.
The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the third and final set forcing an early Princeton timeout. The Tigers managed to cut the gap to seven one two occasions, but Penn State wasted no time working to a double-digit lead. The Nittany Lion lead hovered around 10 points for much of the set. Penn State was leading 21-10 when Princeton called its final timeout. The Tigers managed three kills before an attack error secured the set for Penn State, 25-13.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions close out the Rockvale Outlets Classic tonight at 7 p.m. against St. John's.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.