Nov. 16, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball team (24-2, 15-1) dismantled No. 11 Minnesota (23-6, 11-5) in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-23) to extend its winning streak to 15 consecutive matches Saturday evening at the Sports Pavilion.
Junior Micha Hancock paced the offense to a .304 hitting percentage, distributing 41 assists, adding four kills, four blocks and four digs. Hancock also tallied one ace, bringing her career total to 235, which more her into a tie for first on the PSU all-time record list.
Seniors Deja McClendon and Ariel Scott both recorded double-digit kills in the victory, led by Scott, who totaled 14. McClendon notched 11 kills on a match-high .409 hitting efficiency, adding seven digs. Sophomore Megan Courtney and junior Dominique Gonzalez both anchored the defense with nine digs apiece, while Courtney logged nine kills.
Knotted early in the first set, Nittany Lions broke open a 4-4 tie with a 5-0 run to take control of a five-point lead, 9-4. Penn State remained on top until the midway point in the frame, when the Golden Gophers capitalized on two PSU errors to arrive within one, 14-13. Slay and Courtney teamed up for a pair of consecutive kills to lift the Nittany Lions ahead by two, 16-14. Minnesota answered with a kill before a Penn State attack error put the Gophers back within one, 16-15.
With UM still close behind, 17-16, McClendon and Hancock pounded two consecutive kills to give Penn State some distance, 19-16. Penn State couldn't quite shake Minnesota, as the Gophers fought within two, 22-20. Scott and Slay responded with back-to-back kills to make it set-point, 24-20, before McClendon followed with an ace to secure set one, 25-20.
Penn State came out firing in the second set, building an early 7-2 advantage. The Gophers stopped the strike with a kill, but the Nittany Lions powered on, answering with a 6-2 streak to move ahead by eight, 13-5. A PSU error and a Minnesota kill trimmed the lead back to six, but Penn State pulled away by as many as nine, 19-10.
The Gophers looked to settle into an offensive momentum with a 3-1 spurt, 20-13, but Slay and Grant each connected on kills to help propel the Nittany Lions to set-point, 24-16. Minnesota held off the attempt with a kill, but Courtney smacked a kill to give Penn State a 25-17 win in the second set and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Trailing by one in the third set, 8-7, Hancock opened a 4-0 run that lifted the Nittany Lions ahead by three, 11-8. Minnesota came charging back with a 5-1 stretch to capture a one-point lead, 13-12. Scott and McClendon put down two kills to put PSU back on top, 14-13, but the Gophers rallied with the next three points to go ahead 16-14, forcing the Nittany Lions to call a timeout.
After battling to a 17-all tie, Penn State used a 3-0 stretch featuring two kills from Grant for a slim three-point advantage, 20-17. The two clubs knotted the frame three more times before two critical Penn State blocks at the net put the Nittany Lions at set-point, 24-22. Hanging on, the Gophers thwarted the attempt, but Scott answered with a kill to seal a 25-23 win in the third set, completing the 19th Penn State sweep of the season.
Next up, Penn State returns home from the road to wrap up the home slate with its final two matches in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions host Northwestern Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. before taking on Illinois Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.