Oct. 12, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team defeated No. 17 Purdue, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-16) on Friday night at Rec Hall. Junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) was honored prior to the match for surpassing the 1,000 career kills milestone.
McClendon led Penn State (17-1, 7-0 Big Ten) with 12 kills, while juniors Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) and Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) posted nine apiece. Sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) posted 38 assists and sophomore Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) had eight digs. Sophomore Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) led the Lions at the net with five blocks, while Scott and Courtney posted four blocks each.
Penn State hit .393 against the Boilermakers (13-5, 4-3 Big Ten) and totaled 46 kills, four aces, 31 digs and 9.5 total team blocks. Purdue registered a .148 hitting percentage with 29 kills, two aces, 27 digs and 4.0 team blocks.
The first set started out close with Penn State gaining a two-point edge, 10-8, after kills from Slay and Scott. The Boilermakers tied it up at 13-13 and took the lead on a kill by Ariel Turner. The score tied twice more before a Purdue error and a McClendon kill moved PSU ahead, 17-15. After a Purdue timeout, Penn State's lead grew to three, 20-17, after two kills by Scott and one from McClendon. Despite a Boilermaker putdown, A Slay kill and a solo stuff by McClendon had the Lions with a 22-18 lead. Purdue used a second timeout, but two more errors by the Boilermakers and an ace from Hancock had Penn State with a 25-19 set one win.
The second frame began much like the first until a 6-2 PSU run had the Lions with an 11-7 advantage. Purdue called a timeout, but Penn State's run continued with kills by Slay and Courtney and a Gonzalez ace for a 14-7 lead. Purdue took a second timeout and narrowed the gap to five, 14-9. However, the Nittany Lions continued their press and moved ahead by six, 16-10. Penn State never lost control of the momentum and maintained at least a five-point lead for the remainder of the set. Eventually with a 21-15 lead, Penn State closed out set two with a 4-1 run for a 25-16 victory.
The Boilermakers went up 3-1 to start the third frame, but Penn State responded with a 7-1 run for a 7-4 lead. Val Nichol cut off the run with a kill, but three PSU kills had the Lions leading 10-6. Penn State's lead increased to five, 12-7, before two errors brought the Boilermakers within three, 12-9. Two straight kills from Courtney and one from Slay had the Lions with a 15-10 lead midway through the set. A 3-1 run by the Lions gave Penn State a seven-point lead, 18-11, and forced a Purdue timeout. The break didn't faze Penn State as the Lions held on to at least a seven-point lead until a Scott putdown and a solo block by Courtney gave the Lions a 25-16 third set triumph.
The Nittany Lions are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. against Big Ten foe Indiana. Tickets can be purchased at the door prior to the match and are $8 for adults and $5 for youth.
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.
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