| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nov. 14, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS -- Despite double figure kills from a trio of Nittany Lions, No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball (24-3, 13-3) fell short in a 3-0 (23-25, 20-25, 21-25) loss to No. 4 Minnesota (23-3, 15-1) on the road Saturday evening at Sports Pavilion.
Three Nittany Lions recorded at least 10 kills for the sixth time this season. Senior Megan Courtney led the way with 14 kills and five digs, while sophomore Ali Frantti finished second on the team with 11 kills and three digs. Sophomore Simone Lee rounded out the group of double digit hitters with 10 kills on .300 hitting, while also finishing tied for first on the team with four blocks.
Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney added eight kills, while also tying for first on the team with four blocks.
Redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher and freshman Wilma Rivera led the team with eight digs apiece. Lee added seven digs, while freshman Keeton Holcomb tallied six. Senior Kendall Pierce moved to libero in the third set, logging three digs.
Penn State and Minnesota opened the match trading points to keep the score close. With the frame knotted, 10-10, the Golden Gophers used a 4-0 streak to pull ahead, 14-10, prompting Penn State to call a timeout. A Nittany Lion error and a Minnesota block out of the break widened the Gopher lead to as many as six, 16-10.
Frantti and Whitney looked to cut off the run with a pair of kills, 16-12, but Minnesota followed with a block to remain on top, 17-12. Penn State battled back with a 5-2 stretch, capped off by two consecutive kills from Courtney and Frantti to arrive within two, 19-17. Minnesota called a timeout, but the Nittany Lions came out of the huddle with a block from Washington and Weiskircher to narrow the deficit to one, 19-18.
The Golden Gophers answered with a pair of kills to move ahead 21-18, causing Penn State to call a timeout. PSU regrouped out of the break with three unanswered points to knot the frame, 21-21, causing Minnesota to use its second timeout. With Penn State unable to sustain the momentum, the Golden Gophers responded with a 3-1 spurt to arrive at set point, 24-22. Lee held off the attempt with a kill, but one more Minnesota kill ended the first set 25-23 in favor of the Golden Gophers.
Penn State moved out to a 5-3 lead in the second set, helped out by kills from Whitney, Courtney and Washington. Minnesota responded with a 7-1 run to take over a four-point lead, 10-6, prompting PSU to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions struggled to get back on track out of the break, as Minnesota used an 8-1 run to widen the lead to as many as 10, 18-8.
The Nittany Lions rallied with a 7-3 stretch to shave the margin back to six, 21-15, causing the Golden Gophers to call a timeout. Penn State continued to chip away at the Minnesota advantage, using a 4-1 strike, capped off by a kill and a solo stuff from Courtney to arrive within three, 22-19. A PSU attack error and a Minnesota block halted the momentum, making it set point for the Golden Gophers, 24-19. Washington held off the attempt with a kill, but another Minnesota kill gave the Gophers a 25-20 win in the second set.
Penn State and Minnesota kept it tight throughout the first half of the third set. With the score locked up, 12-12, two Gopher kills moved Minnesota ahead, 14-12. Lee and Courtney answered with back-to-back kills to tie the score, 14-14. Penn State and Minnesota traded points to keep the stanza tied, 15-15, before the Gophers used a 3-0 strike to pull ahead 18-15, prompting PSU to call a timeout.
The Nittany Lions came out of the break with an ace from Washington and a kill from Frantti to knot the score once again, 18-18. The Golden Gophers followed with a 4-1 streak to construct a three-point lead, 22-19, forcing PSU to call a timeout. Frantti looked to halt the run with a kill, 22-20, but a Minnesota kill and a Penn State attack error set up match point for the Golden Gophers, 24-20. Courtney looked to mount a Nittany Lion comeback with a kill, 24-21, but Minnesota followed with a kill to take set three, 25-21 to end the match.
Penn State returns home next week for a pair of Big Ten conference matches. The Nittany Lions host Michigan in a midweek matchup Wednesday, Nov. 18 before closing out the week with a match against Maryland Saturday, Nov. 21 at Rec Hall.