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Nov. 26, 2014
EVANSTON, ILL. - No. 4 Penn State women's volleyball (29-3, 17-2) battled to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-23) win on the road at Northwestern (9-20, 2-16) Saturday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Nittany Lion victory stretches the current winning streak to 13 straight, as PSU has now won its last 38 consecutive sets.
Five Nittany Lions recorded at least five kills in the win, led by junior Megan Courtney, who put down nine to go along with a match-high 11 digs. Freshman Ali Frantti tallied eight while senior Nia Grant added seven kills. Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney and freshman Haleigh Washington tallied six and five, respectively to round out the group.
Freshman Simone Lee came off the bench in the final set with four kills on .500 hitting to help propel Penn State to the straight set victory.
Senior Dominique Gonzalez finished second on the team with 10 digs. Six Nittany Lions recorded multi-block performances at PSU out-blocked the Wildcats 15.0 -5. 0. Grant led the blocking unit with seven total blocks, including two solo stuffs, while Washington posted six.
Senior Micha Hancock dished out 36 assists, while also totaling seven digs, three blocks and a match-high five aces.
Trailing by as many as three,9-6, early in set one, Hancock sparked a 5-0 run with a kill that pulled the Nittany Lions ahead by two, 11-9. The Wildcats looked to halt the momentum with a kill, 11-10, but Penn State followed with a 3-1 spurt capped off by a block from Grant and Frantti to make it 14-11, prompting Northwestern to call a timeout.
Hancock came out of the break with an ace to extend the advantage to four, 15-11, but a service error slowed the rhythm. The two teams continued to trade points, keeping it tight throughout the middle of the frame. Leading by one, 18-17, Hancock put down a kill and a block with Washington to move the Nittany Lions ahead by four, 21-17, forcing the Wildcats to use their final timeout of the frame.
Frantti came out of the timeout with a solo block to widen the margin to five, but Northwestern responded with two consecutive kills to move within two, 21-19. Frantti answered with back-to-back kills, opening a 4-1 stretch that secured a 25-20 win in set one. Penn State shot out to a fast start in set two, leading 4-0 helped out by three consecutive aces from Hancock. The Wildcats came battling back with four straight to tie the frame, 4-4. Grant looked to spark some momentum with a kill, 5-4, but PSU and NU continued to trade points. Knotted at 9-all, the Wildcats used a 7-4 stretch to take over a three-point lead, 16-13, causing the Nittany Lions to call a timeout.
PSU came out of the break with back-to-back blocks to arrive within one, 16-15, but could not sustain the momentum, tying the stanza four more times. With the score locked up at 20-20, Penn State broke away on a 4-2 stretch to arrive at set point, 24-22. The Wildcats held off one attempt with a kill, but Courtney quickly closed out a 25-23 win in the second set with a kill to put the Nittany Lions up 2-0 in the match.
Holding on to a slim lead in set three, 6-4, the Wildcats took away the advantage, tallying five straight to go up by three, 9-6. Penn State looked to get back on track with three straight, 9-9, but a Wildcat kill and a PSU attack error kept NU on top, 11-9. The Nittany Lions managed to fight within one, but could not settle into an offensive rhythm.
Down by three, 16-13, Washington connected on two consecutive kills to open a 4-1 stretch that tied the score, 17-17, forcing Northwestern to call a timeout. A kill from Lee and a solo block from Grant out of the break brought PSU ahead, 19-17, but a Nittany Lion service error threatened to turn the momentum.
Penn State rallied with a 4-2 stretch to extend the advantage to three, 23-20, but three kills from Northwestern tied the score, 23-23. Washington pounded back-to-back kills to wrap up a 25-23 win in the third set to complete the sweep.
Next up, Penn State has a quick turnaround after returning home from the road. The Nittany Lions close out the 2014 home slate hosting No. 10 Nebraska Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8:30 p.m. on senior night. Saturday's match will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Prior to the match, the Nittany Lions will honor the 2014 senior class in a special ceremony.
After wrapping up the regular season, the Nittany Lions will await their seeding in the 2014 NCAA DI Women's Volleyball National Championship. The selection show is set for Sunday, Nov. 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.