Nov. 4, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The sixth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team defeated No. 15 Minnesota, 3-2 (27-25, 25-17, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12) Friday night. The Nittany Lions (18-5, 11-2 Big Ten) totaled 17.5 team blocks and held Minnesota to zero on their way to victory.
Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) totaled 26 kills, just one shy of her career-best. She also put up a personal-best eight total blocks. Sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) was second on the team with 23 kills and third on the team with 10 digs. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) dished out 58 assists and set the Penn State single season aces record with three to total 73 for the season. Hancock also led the team with 18 digs, while sophomore Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) had 13. Freshman Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) led the team in blocks with a career-high nine and sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) finished third on the team with seven.
Penn State hit .335 against the Gophers and finished the match with 72 kills, seven aces, 68 digs and 17.5 team blocks. Minnesota (13-9, 6-7 Big Ten) hit .246 and had 69 kills, eight aces, 83 digs and no blocks.
The Nittany Lions opened the match taking a 6-3 lead. The Gophers fought to tie the score at 7-7, but a Minnesota error and an ace from Grant had the Lions up by two, 9-7. The score tied once more at 9-9 before three straight kills, including back-to-back kills from Scott, pushed Penn State ahead by three, 12-9. The Gophers kept it close, never trailing by more than three for much of the set. With Penn State leading by three, 19-16, Tori Dixon put down three straight kills to tie it up at 19 all. However, two kills from McClendon and one from Hancock put PSU back up by three, 22-19. After a Gopher timeout, McClendon and Scott pounded kills to move Penn State into set point position, 24-20. Minnesota close the gap to two, 24-22, forcing a Penn State timeout. Minnesota managed to tie it up once again at 24-24. It took two more kills by Scott and a joint stuff by Grant and Scott to close out the set for Penn State, 27-25.
Penn State took a 6-2 lead to open the second frame. The Nittany Lions increased their lead to five, 10-5, before a 3-0 Gopher run had Minnesota trailing by only two, 10-8. Two Minnesota errors increased Penn State's lead to four, 12-8, but a PSU error and a kill by Ashley Wittman moved Minnesota within two, 12-10, a second time. A 5-1 PSU run had the Lions with a comfortable six-point advantage, 17-11. Minnesota came within five, 18-13, but it was the closest the Gophers would come for the remainder of the set. Penn State's lead grew to seven, 20-13, forcing a Minnesota timeout. The teams traded points as Penn State moved closer to winning the set. The Lions has a 23-15 lead when Minnesota notched two straight points to be within six, 23-17. A kill by McClendon and double block by Scott and Slay secured set two for PSU, 25-17.
The third set started out close, but Minnesota grabbed a two-point lead, 10-8, with two consecutive kills. The Gophers maintained control and used a 3-0 run for a 17-12 lead that forced a Penn State timeout. The Lions capitalized on two kills from McClendon, one from Hancock and a Minnesota error to cut the Gopher lead to three, 19-16. However, two points from the Gophers increasing their lead to five, 21-16, sent PSU back to the bench. Kills from Scott and Slay brought the Lions within three, 21-18. Dixon and Wittman followed suit with one kill apiece, but Penn State was soon within two, 23-21, after two kills and a block. A joint stuff by Grant and Scott had Penn State behind by one, 23-22, but a Wittman kill had the Gophers at set point, 24-22. Scott put down one final kill before Minnesota earned a 25-23 third set victory.
The fourth stanza began much like the third with the teams staying close until a 5-1 Penn State run had the Lions leading by four, 10-6. The Nittany Lions continued to maintain control until midway through the frame when a 6-1 Minnesota run put the Gophers in the lead, 16-15. The Lions stayed within two until a Hancock ace knotted the score at 20-20. A Wittman kill and a PSU error pushed the Gophers back in front by two, 22-20, and Penn State called a timeout. Scott pounded a kill for Penn State to make it 22-21, but two straight Wittman kills had Minnesota at set point, 24-41. Scott and freshman Aiyana Whitney (Norwood, N.J.) each tallied a kill to hold off the Gophers and bring the score to 24-23. After a Minnesota timeout, Wittman put down one final kill for a 25-23 Gopher win.
Wittman scored three of Minnesota's first four points in the fifth set for a 4-2 lead. Soon after, the Lions tied it up at 5-5 with two kills from Grant. Whitney put Penn State in the lead, 6-5, with a kill before a Minnesota error had Penn State leading by two, 7-5. After a Minnesota timeout, a joint block by Grant and Whitney moved Penn State ahead by three, 8-5. The Gophers answered with three straight points to make it eight all. The score tied three more times before a Grant ace and a McClendon kill gave Penn State a 13-11 edge. Minnesota called a timeout and Dixon pounded a kill to bring the Gophers within one, 13-12. A Gopher service error and a Slay kill off an overpass gave Penn State a 15-12 fifth set triumph.
Penn State is back in action on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. at Wisconsin.
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.