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Aug. 29, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball (3-0) claimed the Penn State Classic title with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21) win against Villanova (2-1) Saturday evening at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions capped off a 3-0 weekend with two wins today, having defeated Stony Brook earlier this afternoon.
"With this team, between the new players and the youth, they don't need to go out and play the best team in the country to find out the things they need to work on," head coach Russ Rose said. "The good thing for us is that we had to grind tonight and we did a nice job with that."
Senior Megan Courtney highlighted the offense with a double-double, posting 16 kills and a team-high 13 digs to go along with four blocks. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney joined Courtney in double figures with 14 kills on .429 hitting, adding two digs. Sophomore Ali Frantti finished third on the team with nine kills, while also finishing second on the squad with 12 digs.
Courtney earned Penn State Class Most Outstanding Player honors while Whitney and Frantti joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
Five different Nittany Lions logged multi-block performances, led by six total blocks from sophomore Haleigh Washington.
Penn State and Villanova opened the match trading points early to keep the score tight. Tied up at 10-all, PSU used a 3-0 streak capped off by a kill from Courtney to go up 13-10, causing the Wildcats to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions came out of the break with an ace and a kill, but Villanova answered with three consecutive kills to move within two, 15-13.
Whitney sparked a quick 3-0 spurt with back-to-back kills to put Penn State ahead 18-13, prompting Villanova to call its final timeout of the frame. The Wildcats broke up the run with a kill, 18-14, but a Nova attack error and a kill from Courtney widened the margin to six, 20-14. Villanova responded with a 3-0 strike to trim the lead back to three, 20-17.
Courtney and Frantti put away a pair of kills to open a 4-2 stretch that carried Penn State to set point, 24-19. The Wildcats held off one attempt before Frantti put down a kill to secure a 25-20 win in the first set.
Much like the first set, Penn State and Villanova battled back and forth throughout the first part of the second set. Tied up at 14-14, Washington and Frantti paired up for back-to-back kills to build a two-point cushion, 16-14, prompting Villanova to call a timeout. Penn State and Villanova traded points out of the break, 17-16, before a kill from Frantti and a Nova error moved PSU up, 19-16.
Making a late rally, Villanova responded with a 7-4 scoring streak to knot the stanza, 23-23, forcing Penn State to call a timeout. Washington and Weiskircher came out of the break with a block to cut off the momentum and make it set point for Penn State, 24-23. Villanova looked to regroup with a timeout, but a Wildcat attack error on the next play handed PSU a 25-23 win in the second set.
Tied at 8-8 in the third set, the Wildcats used a 3-0 spurt to take over a two-point lead, 11-9. Frantti brought the Nittany Lions within one with a kill, 11-10, but Villanova used a 6-4 stretch remain on top, 17-14, prompting PSU to call a timeout. Penn State came out of the break firing, using a 3-0 streak to knot the frame, 17-17. Villanova called a timeout in an effort to regroup, but an ace from Courtney and a kill from Washington lifted PSU ahead, 19-17.
The Wildcats answered back with a kill to remain within one, 19-18, but Penn State used a 6-3 run down the stretch to close out a 25-21 win in the third set to secure the victory.
Penn State remains home next weekend, welcoming a pair of nationally ranked opponents to the court in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will host the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge Sept. 4-5, welcoming No. 24 Colorado and No. 2 Stanford for a pair of challenging matchups. [TICKETS]