Nov. 28, 2015
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LINCOLN, Neb. - Despite a match-high 13 kills from redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney, seventh-ranked Penn State volleyball (26-5, 15-5) fell short in three sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) on the road at No. 5 Nebraska (26-4, 17-3) Saturday evening.
Senior Megan Courtney and sophomore Haleigh Washington finished second on the team with nine kills each.
Penn State out-dug Nebraska 47-44, helped out by at least three digs from seven Nittany Lions. Sophomore Ali Frantti and Courtney finished tied for first on the team with nine digs apiece. Redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher totaled eight digs, while senior libero Kendall Pierce added seven. Whitney and Frantti tied for first on the team with three blocks, while Washington added two.
The Huskers opened the match with a 7-2 run to take over an early advantage. Penn State looked to spark some momentum following a pair of Husker errors, 7-4, but Nebraska followed with a kill and a block to move ahead by five, 9-4.
The Huskers looked to continue the streak with a kill, 10-4, but Washington put down a kill to trim the advantage back to five, 10-5. Nebraska followed with a 6-2 streak to surge ahead, 16-7, causing Penn State to use its second timeout of the frame. The Huskers served up an ace out of the break, 16-7, but a kill a pair of kills from Whitney in between a PSU error trimmed the gap, 18-9.
With Penn State unable to sustain the momentum, the Huskers followed with a 4-2 stretch to make it 22-12. The Nittany Lions regrouped with a kill from Washington that opened up a 4-1 strike that shrunk the gap, 23-16, prompting Nebraska to call a timeout. A Husker kill out of the break made it set point, 24-16. A Nebraska error and a block from Whitney and Lee held off a pair of attempts, but another Cornhusker kill ended the frame, 25-18.
Trailing by three in the second set, 6-3, a kill from Whitney and a pair of Nebraska attack errors tied the score, 6-6. With Penn State unable to settle into an offensive rhythm, the Huskers answered with a 6-0 run to pull ahead 12-6, causing Penn State to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions and the Cornhuskers traded points out of the break, as PSU used a 6-4 stretch to narrow the gap to four, 16-12.
Pulling away, Nebraska responded with a 3-0 strike to move ahead, 19-12. Whitney and Courtney put down back-to-back kills, but an error and a Husker service ace kept Nebraska on top, 21-14. Penn State called timeout and looked to get back on track with a kill out of the break, 21-15. A Nittany Lion attack error and a Nebraska kill made it set point, 24-16. Penn State fought off three consecutive set point attempts before a Husker kill gave Nebraska a 25-18 win in the second set.
Penn State and Nebraska battled back-and-forth early in the third frame. With the score tied for the seventh time, 9-9, a Husker kill and a block put Nebraska on top, 11-9. Courtney broke up the streak with a kill to keep Penn State within one, 11-10. The Huskers answered back with a 4-1 strike to head into the media timeout leading by four, 15-11.
Washington came out of the huddle with a kill, 15-12, but Nebraska followed with a 7-4 stretch to remain ahead by as many as six, 22-16. A Nebraska service error and a kill from Courtney quickly cut the deficit to four, 22-18, prompting the Huskers to call a timeout. Penn State rallied out of the huddle with a block from Washington and Courtney, opening up a 4-1 run that lifted the Nittany Lions within one, 23-22.
The Huskers came out of the break with a kill to arrive at match point, 24-22. Penn State called timeout, but could not mount a comeback out of the break as a kill from the Huskers closed out a 25-22 win in the third set to end the match.
The Nittany Lions will now await seeding for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. All pairings will be announced during the 2015 NCAA DI Women's Volleyball Selection Show, which is set for Sunday, Nov. 29 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.