Sept. 26, 2010
MADISON, Wis. - The second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions closed out their first weekend of Big Ten play with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-21) sweep of Wisconsin (11-2, 0-2). The match will air tonight on the Big Ten Network at 9 p.m.
Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills, including senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) with 14, freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) with 12 and senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) with 10. Sophomore setter Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) dished out 39 assists, while Wilson led the team with four blocks. McClendon had a match-high 16 digs and senior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) was second on the team with 14.
Penn State (11-2, 1-1) finished the match with a .355 attack percentage and held the Badgers to just .147 hitting. The Nittany Lions totaled 50 kills, 43 assists, four aces 53 digs and 8.5 total team blocks. The Badgers finished the match with 34 kills, 31 assists, two ace, 43 digs and 4.0 team blocks.
The Nittany Lions opened the match taking a 3-0 lead on kills from senior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) and McClendon and a Badger attack error. Two PSU errors and a Wisconsin ace tied it up at 3-3, but a McClendon kill put the Lions back in front, 4-3. The score tied twice before three straight PSU kills put the Lions up by three, 8-5. A 3-0 run by Wisconsin had the score knotted at 8-8, but a Brown kill had the Nittany Lions back out in front. The score tied once more before kills by Brown and McClendon and a Wisconsin attack error gave PSU a three-point lead, 12-9. Wisconsin worked back to within one, 14-13, but a 3-0 run, including back-to-back blocks by Carpenter and Wilson moved Penn State ahead by four, 17-13. After a Wisconsin timeout, Penn State scored the next three points for a 20-13 lead. The Badgers called a second timeout and junior Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.) followed it with a kill for PSU. The Badgers managed two more points, but two UW errors and a putdown by Brown closed out set one for Penn State, 25-15.
Penn State leapt out to a 5-0 lead in set two forcing a Badger timeout. Two UW errors, two Wilson aces and a Balza kill pushed Penn State early in the set. Wisconsin nabbed a point off a PSU service error, but Penn State's lead grew to eight, 10-2, before the Badgers scored another point. Wisconsin fought back to within three points, 14-11, and Penn State headed to the bench for a timeout. The Nittany Lions maintained at least a two-point lead until a 3-0 run put PSU up by six, 19-13. The Badgers came within four, 20-16, but two kills and a stuff by Wilson, a kill from Brown and a Kabbes block secured set two for Penn State, 25-17.
Wisconsin took a 7-4 lead to start set three, but a Badger service error, D'Errico ace and Carpenter kill had the score knotted at 7-7. A kill by UW's Allison Wack put the Badgers in front, 8-7, but a McClendon kill had the score tied at 8-8. Two consecutive kills from Elise Walch put Wisconsin up by two, 10-8, but Penn State used two Wilson kills, one from Brown and a UW attack error to move ahead, 12-11. Despite another kill by Walch, two Brown putdowns and one from McClendon had Penn State in the lead by two, 15-13. Following a Wisconsin timeout, Balza and McClendon teamed up for a block before McClendon tallied a kill to give Penn State a four-point advantage, 17-13, and send the Badgers back to the bench. Wisconsin fought to within three, 22-19, with a 4-0 run. After a Nittany Lion timeout, the Badgers registered the first point to make it a two-point set, 22-20. However, Wilson powered a kill for a 23-20 lead before Wisconsin called a timeout. The Badgers recorded one more point before a Brown kill had Penn State in match-point position, 24-21. A joint block by Balza and McClendon ended the match for the Nittany Lions.
What's Next?
Penn State is back in action on Friday, Oct. 1 against Michigan State at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions host Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. The match with the Wolverines will air live on the Big Ten Network.
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.