Sept. 24, 2015
By Samantha DelRosso, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Haleigh Washington was the complete package against Wisconsin on Wednesday night. She dominated on both offense and defense. Her serving was efficient. And as always, she was fired up through all three sets.
Washington notched 11 kills at a .786 hitting percentage and is currently leading the nation in hitting. She had five blocks and two aces on the night as well. Her serve was tough and strategic.
The slide approach has become Washington's strong suit. The "slide" is when a middle hitter, like Washington, runs a route around the setter to hit the ball from the right side. Against Wisconsin, Washington was virtually unstoppable on the slide.
"I've been working with my setter to work on that run, to see if there is a hole in the block or a hole down the line," Washington said. "So [I'm] finally getting that rhythm with my setter. It has made it a lot easier to put balls away back there."
Washington and three additional Nittany Lions had kills in double digits in their victory against the Badgers, collectively attacking at a .376 clip. Ali Frantti led the offense with 14 kills and both Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney notched 10. Courtney also controlled the court on defense with a team-high of 14 digs.
Head coach Russ Rose said having four players with kills in double digits shows the balance of talent on this team.
"The ability of the outside [hitters] to take good swings [also] gives us a different look for people," Rose said. "[Opponents] have to make some decisions on who they want to block and who they don't want to block."
Rose said it was a great opening match against a strong opponent, but he is surprised any time a team wins 3-0 in the Big Ten because the conference is so competitive.
"Every time you play against a Big Ten team, you're going to be forced to deal with different strengths by the other team," Rose said. "We had some ideas on trying to neutralize Lauren Carlini, who is the setter and does so many things for them. We executed the game plan really well."
This execution led to yet another 3-0 victory for the Nittany Lions. The team has swept 12 teams so far and has yet to drop a set. Frantti said the team is getting better and better with each match.
"I think our chemistry is growing everyday. I feel comfortable around these girls and I trust them. We can build upon this," Frantti said.
Penn State hopes to build and grow each week. Washington said she is looking forward to continuing to get better.
"These past [few] weeks have been great, and it's even better because we get to grind for more," Washington said. "We get to keep going hard and keep getting to represent the program in an even better way."
After the victory over the 16th-ranked Badgers, Washington felt immense pride.
"I was walking down the hallway, I was listening to the band playing, I was looking at Frantti and watching Coach walk down the hall," Washington said. "I was really proud to be a part of this program."
The Nittany Lions hope to continue their success in Big Ten play this Saturday against No. 21 Minnesota at 8 p.m. Catch the match in Rec Hall or the Big Ten Network.