Nov. 1, 2015
By Anita Nham, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" For the opening point in the first set, redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney started the match against No. 11 Ohio State with a resilient kill. Her skills and dominance carried the Lions through the rest of the match to guide Penn State to a 3-1 victory against No. 11 Ohio State on Friday evening.
Whitney finished off the night with team-high of 13 kills, and a .550 hitting efficiency. She also led the team with four blocks.
"I thought Aiyana was exceptional tonight," said head coach Russ Rose.
The Nittany Lions had a smooth first and second set to easily cruise to a 2-0 lead. For the third set, Penn State came out with a 5-2 lead, most notably from three consecutive blocks, including solo stuffs from Ali Frantti and Whitney. Megan Courtney and Whitney also notched a double block.
But after Ohio State called a timeout, the Buckeyes quickly regrouped to close the gap. Penn State fell in the third set to Ohio State.
"Things just got a little crazy," said redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher. "We were just trying to do a little more than we needed to, and I think all around, it was just a little rough. We got a little tense, and we figured, we had the game in the bag, but obviously, we didn't."
However, veteran player Whitney knew how to help her teammates with the pressure.
"[We thought about] controlling the ball on our side, and controlling what we're doing," said Whitney. "When they close the gap like that, sometimes people can get tense out of it, and that's how errors happen. We just try to stay loose, and control the ball, control what we're doing. Keep each other loose, so we can get a run."
Alongside Whitney, sophomore Haleigh Washington also notched 13 kills on .445 hitting percentage, four digs, two blocks and an ace.
"Haleigh was very strong offensively early in the match," said coach Rose.
Weiskircher led the team with 42 assists and two aces. Weiskircher recorded a career high of five kills, as well.
"I thought it was a good, intense match with a great conference opponent. It's always tough playing Ohio State," said Rose. "We started the week tied for second in the conference with them, so to be able to go through the week, and get a couple of victories, it's great for the kids. We didn't play great, but we did some things really well...It's a special win when you can beat the same team twice in the same week."
Penn State has eight more matches in the regular season. The Nittany Lions will be back on the road next weekend to take on Maryland and Rutgers.
"It's a good win. We have two more matches on the road next weekend, so it's a long conference season," said coach Rose.