Aug. 25, 2012
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The third-ranked Penn State women's volleyball improved to 2-0 with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-22) victory against Western Kentucky University. Two Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills in the win.
Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) posted a match-high 15 kills, while junior Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) posted 11. Sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) paced the offense with 36 assists and junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led the team with 11 digs. Sophomore Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) had five blocks, while McClendon added four.
The Nittany Lions registered a .316 hitting percentage and totaled 50 kills, 47 digs and 9.0 team blocks. Western Kentucky hit .162 with 30 kills, 30 digs and 4.0 blocks.
The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the match and never looked back. The Hilltoppers came within two on four occasions early in the first set, but Penn State got into a rhythm. A kill and back-to-back aces from Hancock gave Penn State a 10-5 lead and sent WKU to the bench for a timeout. The Nittany Lions extended their run to 13 straight points for a convincing 20-5 lead. WKU cut off the run with a kill, but two Scott putdowns sandwiching another WKU kill kept Penn State with a commanding lead, 22-7. Penn State allowed the Hilltoppers only three final points before kills from freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) and McClendon closed out set one for Penn State, 25-10.
Western Kentucky took an early 5-2 lead to start the second set. However, Penn State used a 5-1 run to move ahead by one, 7-6. The score tied twice before two Penn State errors had the Hilltoppers on top, 10-8. Penn State continued to trail until a 5-0 run, including two Scott kills, push the Nittany Lions into the lead by two, 19-17. Despite a WKU kill, Grant, Slay and Scott all pounded kills to keep Penn State in front, 21-18. Two PSU errors and a Hilltopper kill had WKU within one, 22-21, and Penn State calling a timeout. The Nittany Lions went on to secure set two, 25-22, with the aid of a kill and a block from Slay.
The Hilltoppers started the third stanza with a 3-1 lead. Penn State tied it up soon after at 4-4 with an ace from junior Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.), and took a slim 5-4 lead with a block by Hancock and Slay. WKU managed to knot the score at 6-6 after a PSU error and a kill. The score tied seven more times before a 4-0 PSU run had Penn State leading by four, 19-15. The Hilltoppers narrowed the gap to two, 20-18, but three Nittany Lion kills had the Lions leading 23-19. A setter dump by Hancock put Penn State at match point, but the Hilltoppers tallied three straight points to come within two, 24-22. Penn State called a timeout and McClendon pounded a kill for a 25 -22 win.
The Nittany Lions are back in action tonight at 7:30 p.m. Penn State is set to face Active Ankle Challenge host, Louisville.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
Penn State women's volleyball is on Twitter. Follow @PennStateVBALL. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatewomensvolleyball.