Sept. 19, 2014
Final Stats (PDF) I Final Stats
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball (9-1) rolled past Eastern Illinois (5-6) in straight sets (25-10, 25-9, 25-17) Friday afternoon in Rec Hall. The victory moves the Nittany Lions to 1-0 in the Penn State Alumni Classic.
Penn State is set to complete its doubleheader with a 7:30 p.m. matchup this evening against DePaul. Prior to first serve, the Nittany Lions raise the 2013 Big Ten Championship banner.
Senior Nia Grant and freshman Simone Lee fueled the offense with 10 kill apiece. Grant also recorded a .625 hitting clip on 16 errorless swings, while also posting a team-high five blocks. Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney and junior Megan Courtney each finished second on the squad with seven kills each. Courtney finished tied for first on the team with 10 digs.
Senior Micha Hancock paced the squad to a .440 hitting clip, adding a season-high six kills on .600 hitting. Hancock also logged her second double-double of the season with 30 assists and 10 digs.
Penn State opened the match on a 6-2 streak to take control of an early advantage. The Panthers cut off the stretch with a kill to jump within three, 6-3, but PSU responded with a 5-1 run to widen the lead to seven, 11-4. Eastern Illinois looked to regroup with a kill, 11-5, but the Nittany Lions tallied the next five unanswered points to surge ahead by as many as 11, 16-5.
EIU halted the attack with a kill, 16-6, but Penn State used a quick 3-0 spurt to remain on top, 19-6. From there, the Nittany Lions continued to cruise, using a balanced attack to lock up a 25-10 win in the opening frame.
PSU continued the momentum into the second set, opening the stanza on a 5-2 run. The Panthers looked to spark a run with a kill, 5-3, but Penn State responded with a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 14, 17-3. Lee powered the offense during the offense during the streak with four kills. Eastern Illinois managed to trim the deficit back to 13 with a 3-2 stretch, 19-6, but Penn State answered with a 6-3 strike to secure a 25-9 win in the second set.
Tied up at 4-4 in set three, Penn State pulled away on an 8-0 run to construct an eight-point lead, 12-4. Rallying, the Panthers put together a 10-6 streak to narrow the gap to four, 18-14. Whitney put down a kill to give the Nittany Lions some distance, but EIU followed with a kill to remain within four, 19-15.
Penn State quickly cut off the Eastern Illinois rhythm, finishing off the frame on a 6-2 run to earn a 25-17 win in the final set, completing the sweep.