Nov. 30, 2013
LINCOLN, Neb. - No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball (28-2, 19-1) extended its winning streak to 19 consecutive matches in a 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 26-24, 26-24) come-from-behind victory on the road at Nebraska (23-6, 16-4) Saturday evening. With the win, Penn State improves to 1-0 against Nebraska inside the Devaney Center.
Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills in the win, led by senior Ariel Scott who registered 17 kills, five digs and four blocks. Senior Deja McClendon recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs, adding two solo blocks. Sophomore Megan Courtney rounded out the group with her sixth double-double of the year, totaling 14 kills and 12 digs, while also adding four blocks.
Senior Katie Slay led the blocking with five total blocks, while junior Dominique Gonzalez tallied 11 digs.
Penn State fell behind early as Nebraska opened the match on 5-1 run, but Slay sparked a 4-1 streak with a kill to put the Nittany Lions within one, 6-5. Unable to pull away, the Huskers followed with a 4-1 spurt of their own to remain in control of a four-point lead, 10-6. PSU answered with a 3-0 streak, featuring kills from Grant and McClendon to make it 10-9, but Nebraska connected on a kill to put an end to the rhythm.
Down by two, 11-9, Penn State used a 3-1 burst, capped off by back-to-back kills from Slay to knot the frame, 12-12. A service error prevented the Nittany Lions from moving ahead, but the two teams continued to keep it close. Nebraska pushed ahead by as many as five, 20-15, before Penn State used a 3-0 strike to trim the deficit to two, 20-18. As Penn State failed to extend the streak, the Huskers surged toward the end of the stanza before arriving at set-point, 24-21. Scott held off the attempt with a kill, but another Nebraska kill handed the Huskers set one, 25-22.
Locked at 4-all in set two, Penn State cracked open the tie with a 5-2 run to take control of a three-point lead, 9-6. The Huskers broke up the momentum with a pair of kills, 9-8, but the Nittany Lions answered back with a 5-2 run to maintain a four-point lead, 14-10. Chipping away at the PSU advantage, the Huskers managed to tie the set, 19-19, forcing Penn State to call a timeout.
Regrouping, the Nittany Lions came out of the break on a 5-2 run to arrive at set-point, 24-21. Scott led the offensive push with three kills during the streak. Nebraska quickly tallied two points, jumping within one, 24-23, but Scott finished off a 25-23 win in set two with a kill to tie the match, 1-1.
Trailing by four in the third, 10-6, Scott and Slay teamed up for a pair of consecutive kills to narrow the gap to two, 10-8. The Huskers responded with a 4-0 streak to extend the lead to as many as six, 14-8, before Slay and Scott pounded another set of consecutive kills to make it 14-10.
The two teams continued to battle closely, until an ace from Hancock lifted Penn State within two, 20-18. After trading points, Nebraska looked to close out the frame, leading 23-21. Junior Lacey Fuller followed with an ace to put Penn State within one, 23-22, forcing Nebraska to call timeout. Rallying, Penn State closed out the frame on a 3-2 streak to claim a close 26-24 win in the third set.
Tied up at 7-7 in the fourth set, Courtney opened a 5-2 strike that featured two consecutive solo blocks from McClendon. Leading by three, 12-9, Nebraska came charging back, using a 3-0 run to tie the stanza, 12-12. The Nittany Lions and the Huskers knotted the frame eight more times before Nebraska used a 3-0 spurt to go up by three, 23-20. Penn State stormed back with four unanswered points to make it 24-23. Nebraska followed with a kill to tie it up once again, 24-24, but Grant smacked a kill for set and match point, 26-24.
Next up, Penn State will wait to see where its positioned in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, which is set to be announced tomorrow evening. The NCAA selection show will broadcast live Sunday, Dec. 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.