Nov. 12, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The eighth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (22-4, 12-3 Big Ten) defeated Wisconsin, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-12), on Friday, Nov. 12. The Nittany Lions take on No. 9 Illinois on Saturday at 6 p.m. The match is a Code Blue and all fans are encouraged to wear blue.
Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills with senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) who had 14 on .538 hitting. Senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) tallied 11 on .625 hitting and freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) recorded 10. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) dished out 40 assists, while senior libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) led the team with 10 digs. Senior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) and Brown each posted five blocks.
Penn State attacked at a .467 clip and held the Badgers to .076 hitting. The Nittany Lions totaled 46 kills, three aces, 38 digs and 12.0 total team blocks. Wisconsin registered 28 kills, one ace, 37 digs and 1.0 team blocks.
The first set started out close with the score tying five times before a 3-0 PSU run had Penn State with an 8-5 lead. A Wisconsin ace cut off the Lion run, but a kill by freshman Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and an ace by Carpenter had Penn State in front by five, 11-6. After a Wisconsin timeout, Penn State's lead slowly grew to nine, 20-11, and forced the Badgers to call a second timeout. McClendon put down a kill after the break, but a service error put the ball in Badger control. A 7-2 Wisconsin run pulled the Badgers within five, 24-19, and had Penn State calling a timeout. Brown closed out the set for the Nittany Lions with a kill for a 25-19 set one win.
Despite the Badgers taking a 6-3 lead to start the second frame, the Nittany Lions used a 4-0 run to grab a slim 7-6 edge. The Badgers knotted the score twice, but Penn State pulled ahead taking a 13-9 lead on kills from McClendon and Brown and a McClendon ace. The Badgers stayed within three until a Wisconsin attack error and a McClendon kill pushed Penn State's lead to five, 18-13. Wisconsin called a timeout and the teams traded points with Penn State maintaining a five-point lead, 20-15. The Badgers used their second timeout, but four Wisconsin errors and a Wilson kill secured set two for the Nittany Lions, 25-16.
Penn State grabbed the lead early in the third stanza, albeit slim. With a 7-6 lead, the Nittany Lions embarked on a 6-2 run, which gave Penn State a 13-8 advantage. Wisconsin called a timeout, but two McClendon kills and two Badger errors increased the gap to seven, 17-10. The Badgers took a second timeout, but failed to gain any momentum. The Nittany Lions closed out the set on an 8-2 run for a convincing 25-12 win. The Badgers had three errors to aid the Lions, while Balza had two kills and Brown, Wilson and freshman Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) pounded one kill apiece.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. against No. 9 Illinois. The match 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.