Oct. 13, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team earned a 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21) win against Indiana (8-12, 0-8 Big Ten) Saturday evening at Rec Hall. Penn State improved to 18-1 overall and 8-0 in league play.
Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) posted a match-high 14 kills, while junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) recorded 12. Sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) registered 40 assists, three aces, 15 digs and was second on the team in blocks with six. Sophomore Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) had a team-best 16 digs, while Courtney notched 11. Sophomore Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) tallied eight blocks and junior Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) had six.
Penn State hit .197 against the Hoosiers with 53 kills, four aces, 63 digs and 15.5 team blocks. Indiana registered a .059 hitting percentage and totaled 42 kills, five aces, 56 digs and 7.0 team blocks.
The first set started out close with neither team developing a strong lead. With the score tied at 10-10, a 7-3 Indiana run had the Hoosiers with a 17-13 advantage. Penn State called a timeout and fought to within one, 20-19, after a kill and a block from McClendon. Indiana used a timeout and continued to hold a slim lead until a kill by freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) and an IU error had the score knotted at 22-22. Indiana used its second timeout and grabbed a two-point edge, 24-22. The Lions headed to the bench, but Indiana got an ace to take set one, 25-22.
Penn State opened set two going up 3-0 and never let go of control of the lead. Midway through the set, Penn State had an 11-6 lead and Indiana used its first timeout. Despite a kill from the Hoosiers, a 3-0 Nittany Lion run had Penn State with a seven-point lead, 14-7. Indiana used its second timeout, but it didn't face the Lions. Penn State's lead grew to double-digits, 21-10, before a 4-1 run by the Hoosiers had Penn State calling a timeout. An IU error and a Hancock kill moved Penn State into set-point position at 24-15. However, the Hoosiers took off on a 4-0 run before a kill from junior Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.) closed out set two for Penn State 25-19.
Indiana held the lead early on in the third stanza. Halfway through with the score tied at 11-11, three IU errors and a Hancock kill had the Lions leading, 15-11. Indiana called a timeout, but Penn State pushed on with a 5-1 run for a convincing 20-13 lead. Despite another Hoosier timeout, Penn State capitalized on two Indiana errors, a Martin ace and kills from Slay and Scott for a 25-16 win. Penn State took a 2-1 lead in the match.
Indiana opened the fourth frame with a 7-0 run before a Penn State timeout. The Nittany Lions embarked on a 7-1 run to close the gap to one, 8-7. Indiana called a timeout and two IU errors and a Grant kill gave Penn State a two-point lead, 10-8. Back-to-back IU kills knotted the score at 10-10. The score tied four more times before three straight Nittany Lion kills moved Penn State up by three, 19-16. Indiana used a timeout and tallied a kill to make it 19-17. Penn State responded with a 5-2 run to reach match point, 24-19. A kill and a block by the Hoosiers kept the set going until Scott pounded a kill for a 25-21 fourth set win.
Penn State heads off on a four-match road trip beginning with an 8 p.m. match at Ohio State on Oct. 17. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions visit Michigan on Oct. 20, Iowa on Oct. 24 and Nebraska on Oct. 28.
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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