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Sept. 4, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Multi-block performances from five different Nittany Lions pushed No. 1 Penn State (4-0) past No. 21 Colorado (2-2) in straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-18) in the first match of the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge Friday evening at Rec Hall.
Penn State owned a 13.0-3.0 advantage in team blocks against the Buffaloes, led by a match-high seven blocks from sophomore Heidi Thelen. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Haleigh Washington added four total blocks each.
Washington led the offense with a team-high eight kills on .500 hitting without a single attack error. Sophomore Ali Frantti finished second on the team with seven kills, while also contributing four digs.
Senior Megan Courtney led the squad with 12 digs, while freshman Keeton Holcomb finished second on the team with seven.
"I thought it was a competitive, but not necessarily well played match," head coach Russ Rose said. "But you have to feel good about not playing your best and winning, and hope that you can improve."
Tied up at 4-4 early in the opening frame, a service ace from sophomore Taylor Krause sparked a 6-1 streak that sent the Nittany Lions ahead, 10-5, causing the Buffs to call a timeout. Courtney looked to extend the momentum out of the break with an ace, 11-5, but Colorado followed with a 6-1 stretch to climb within one, 12-11.
A kill from Thelen and an ace from Weiskircher opened up a 4-0 strike capped off by back-to-back blocks, lifting Penn State up by as many as five, 16-11. A Nittany Lion attack error broke up the streak, 16-12, but PSU regrouped with a 7-3 run to take over an eight-point lead, 23-15.
The Buffaloes looked to spark a comeback with three unanswered points, 23-18, but Washington put down a kill to make it set point, 24-18. The Buffs held off one attempt before Frantti put away the final kill to secure a 25-19 win.
Penn State shot out to a 6-0 lead in the second set, prompting Colorado to call an early timeout. Colorado came out of the break with a 6-3 stretch to arrive within three, 9-6. Courtney followed with a solo stuff, 10-6, but the Buffs continued to match the Nittany Lions point-for-point, to pull within four, 14-10.
PSU managed to remain within four points heading down the stretch. Leading by four, 21-17, a Colorado kill trimmed the Nittany Lion lead back to three, 21-18. Penn State answered back with a quick 3-0 burst to arrive at set point, 24-18.
Rallying, a Colorado block and a PSU attack error brought the Buffs back within four, 24-20, prompting Penn State to call a timeout. The Buffaloes came out of the break with a block, 24-21, but served into the net on the next attempt to hand Penn State a 25-21 win in the second set and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 9-2 start in the third stanza to build a seven-point cushion. The Buffs looked to cut off the run with a kill, 9-3, but Penn State followed with a 9-6 stretch to widen the margin to nine, 18-9. Colorado looked to start a run with a kill prior to a PSU attack error, 18-11, but the Nittany Lions used a 6-4 streak to arrive at set point, 24-15.
The Buffaloes made one final attempt to mount a comeback with three consecutive points, 24-18, but a kill from Frantti finished off a 25-18 win in the third set to complete the sweep.
Penn State returns to action tomorrow night, taking on No. 2 Stanford in the final match of the 2015 Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. First serve between the Nittany Lions and the Cardinal is set for 8 p.m. ET. in Rec Hall. The matchup will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Audrey Flaugh on the call.