Sept. 17, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The fifth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (7-3) defeated Florida Gulf Coast (5-7), 3-1 (20-25, 25-11, 25-17, 25-11) to close out the Hampton Inn Classic. The Nittany Lions open Big Ten play on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at Nebraska at 8 p.m. ET.
Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) had a match-high and career-best 17 kills on .419 hitting, while sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) posted 10 kills. Sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) was third on the team with nine kills on .571 hitting, while classmate Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.) put down seven with a career-high .545 attack percentage. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) posted 36 assists and a team-best 13 digs. Sophomore Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) was second on the team with a season-high 12 digs. Slay tied her personal best with a season-high 10 total blocks.
The Nittany Lions hit .315 against Florida Gulf Coast, totaling 54 kills, 11 aces, 45 digs and 14.0 team blocks. Penn State's 11 aces are a program-best in four sets since the rally scoring-era began. FGCU hit .094 and had 32 kills, three aces, 34 digs and 10.0 team blocks.
Slay was named the Hampton Inn Classic MVP and both Longo and Scott were named to the Hampton Inn Classic All-Tournament Team. Joining the trio on the all-tournament team was Brittany Bozzini of Rutgers, FGCU's Jill Hopper and Kaitlin Holm and Long Island's Hanna Gibeau.
Early errors plagued the Nittany Lions during the first set and Penn State fell behind, 7-3. Despite kills from Slay and McClendon, Penn State's troubles continued as the Eagles lead increased to double-digits, 17-7. After a Penn State timeout, the Nittany Lions fought to within six, 18-12, and sent the Eagles to the bench. A Lion block and a kill from freshman Aiyana Whitney (Norwood, N.J.) had Penn State closing in, 18-14. However, a 3-1 Eagle run had FGCU with a 21-15 lead. The Lions fought to within four on two occasions, but the Eagles maintained control to steal set one, 25-20.
The Nittany Lions came alive in set two and jumped out to a 6-2 lead forcing an early timeout by the Eagles. The break failed to slow Penn State as the Lions took off on a 10-2 run for a 16-4 advantage. A block by Camil Dominguez cut off the Lion run momentarily, but PSU picked the pace right back up and used a 7-1 run for a 22-7 lead. Brooke Kohler pounded a kill for the Eagles, but both McClendon and freshman Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) put down kills to move the Nittany Lions into set point position, 24-8. The Eagles held Penn State at set point for three straight points before McClendon put one away for a 25-11 win.
Despite trailing 4-1 early in the third frame, Penn State used a 5-0 run for a 6-4 edge. The Eagles didn't let Penn State get carried away and were only trailing by one, 10-9, when a Martin kill sparked a 5-0 PSU run for a 15-9 lead. A kill and block had the Eagles within four, 15-11, but a 4-1 Lion run kept Penn State comfortably ahead, 19-12. FGCU called a timeout and tallied three consecutive point to close the gap to four, 19-15. After a Penn State timeout, the Nittany Lions allowed the Eagles just two additional points before two kills from McClendon and one from Slay secured set three for Penn State, 25-17.
The fourth set was much like the second with Penn State taking control early with an 8-3 advantage when FGCU called its first timeout. The Eagles used a kill and a PSU error to come within three, 8-5, but a 13-3 Penn State run had the Lions leading, 21-7. Jelena Simic put down a kill before a Kaitlin Holm put up a block to make it 21-9. An FGCU error and a Hancock ace had Penn State within two of winning the match, 23-9. Dominguez managed two final kills for the Eagles in between putdowns by McClendon and Scott for a 25-11 Penn State win.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.