Oct. 8, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State women's volleyball team (11-5, 4-2 Big Ten) suffered a 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 12-15) setback to top-ranked Illinois Saturday night. More than 5,200 fans packed Rec Hall to support the Lions. The match will air on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.
Several Nittany Lions posted career-highs in a number of statistical categories. Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) put down a career-best 27 kills on a personal-high 74 attacks. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) had career-highs in aces with seven, which ties the individual single-match program record, and digs with 19. Freshman Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) tallied a personal-best 14 digs, while sophomore Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) had a career-best 24 digs to lead the team.
Scott's 27 kills were a match-high. Sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) was second on the team with 12 kills, while both sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and freshman Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) had 10 apiece. McClendon also contributed in the back row on defense finishing fourth on the team with 11 digs. Hancock dished out 45 assists to pace the Nittany Lion offense. Slay led the team with seven total blocks, while Grant was second on the team with four.
Penn State hit .134 against the Illini (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten) and posted 68 kills, nine aces, 99 digs and 12.5 total team blocks. The Nittany Lions' nine aces ties for second in rally-scoring era records for five set matches. The Illini finished the match hitting .184 with 55 kills, eight aces, 93 digs and 17.0 team blocks.
The first set started out close, but Penn State grabbed a two-point lead, 8-6, on a Scott kill and an Illini error. A 6-3 PSU run increased the gap to five, 14-9, by midpoint of the set. After an Illinois timeout, the Fighting Illini fought to come within two, 18-16. Penn State called a timeout, but the Illini managed to tie it up at 20-20. A Scott kill and a Hancock ace pushed Penn State back into the lead, 22-20. Despite a second Illinois timeout, another Hancock ace had the Lions ahead by three, 23-20. Michelle Bartsch pounded a kill for the Illini, but a Grant kill and an Illini attack error secured set one for PSU, 25-21.
The Illini dominated set two from the start, taking a 7-2 lead. Penn State closed the gap to three, 10-7, but a 5-1 Illini run had Illinois ahead by seven, 15-8. The Nittany Lions would trail by seven for much of the remainder of the set, using a timeout to attempt to slow Illinois' momentum with the score at 19-12. It wasn't until a kill by Colleen Ward and an ace from Annie Luhrsen put Illinois at set point, 24-15, that the momentum shifted. The Nittany Lions held the Illini at set point for six straight points to be within three of the Illini, 24-21. Illinois called a timeout and Liz McMahon tallied a kill to win set two for Illinois, 25-21.
Despite trailing for much of the third set, the Nittany Lions rallied midway through the frame to take a 14-13 lead and force an Illinois timeout. The score tied twice more before two Scott kills and one from Slay pushed Penn State up by three, 18-15. Illinois called a second timeout and used a 3-0 run to knot the score at 18-18. Scott put Penn State back in the lead before an Illini error gave the Lions a two-point cushion, 20-18. Back-to-back Illinois kills made it 20 all and sent Penn State to the bench. McClendon put down a kill to move the Lions back in front once again. Illinois tied it up one last time, but kills from Slay, Grant and Scott helped Penn State sneak away with the set, 25-23.
The Nittany Lions took control early in the fourth set, but saw their lead slip away as the set began to wind down. With a 17-14 lead, a 5-1 Illinois run moved the Illini into the lead, 19-18. Penn State called a timeout, but Illinois' lead continued to grow with a block and a kill. The Nittany Lions burned its second timeout with the score at 21-18 in favor of Illinois, but it wasn't enough to slow the Illini. Illinois' lead grew to four, 23-19, before an Illini service error and a Hancock ace had the Lions within two, 23-21. Illinois called a final timeout and managed to close out the set swiftly, 25-21.
The Illini hopped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth and final frame, but a 5-1 Penn State run had the Lions out in front, 6-4. Illinois called a timeout and used a 5-1 run of its own to take a 9-7 lead. After a Penn State timeout, the Illini's lead grew to three, 11-9, before three straight PSU points had the score tied at 11-11. Illinois used its final timeout and allowed the Nittany Lions just one final point before winning the set, 15-12.
Penn State is back in action on Oct. 14 at Purdue before taking on Indiana on Oct. 15. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
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.