Oct. 1, 2016
Final Stats
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | #16 Penn State
| 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 | | #22 Michigan | 20 | 19 | 15 | 0 |
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| Penn State Statistical Leaders | | Kills: A. Frantti - 11 | | Blocks: Gorrell, Washington - 5 | | Digs: A. Detering - 11 | | Assists: A. Detering - 35 | | Aces: Washington - 3 |
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| Stat Comparison | PSU | MICH | | Kills | 47 | 34 | | Hitting Pct. | .432 | .207 | Assists
| 44 | 34 | | Aces | 8 | 2 | | Digs | 30 | 27 | Total Team Blocks
| 11.0 | 4.0 |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The No. 16 Penn State women's volleyball team (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) earned its second top-25 victory of the weekend on Saturday night, taking down the visiting Michigan Wolverines (13-3, 2-2 Big Ten), 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-15), inside the friendly confines of Rec Hall.
A slew of Nittany Lions contributed on the offensive end as the team notched 47 kills in the match, tying its largest output in a three-set outing this season.
Junior outside hitter Ali Frantti paced the club with 11 kills on .391 hitting, while adding seven digs and a pair of blocks. Redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell tabbed nine kills and a team-best five blocks, while Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington had eight kills apiece. Washington also tallied five blocks
Opposite Heidi Thelen had six spikes on a team-high .667 hitting clip. Junior setter Abby Detering paced the offense to a .432 clip as a team while accounting for 35 of the team's 44 assists. She added four kills of her own while notching 11 digs for her third double-double of the season.
The Nittany Lions take the floor again on Wednesday, Oct. 5, against the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers. The match begins at 7 p.m. inside Rec Hall. Fans are encouraged to "White Out Rec Hall" and wear white in support of Penn State in Wednesday's marquee matchup.
Penn State jumped ahead early in the first set and never looked back. After trailing 4-3 early, PSU made a 4-0 spurt on kills from Lee, Frantti and Gorrell to secure an 8-4 lead. Michigan called for a timeout. Penn State scored twice more before Michigan responded. Michigan pulled within two when an ace from defensive specialist Keeton Holcomb and a kill from Frantti sparked a 4-0 run to make it 13-8 for the Nittany Lions. Gorrell, Frantti, and Lee all knocked down kills in a 5-2 PSU run to open the gap to five at 19-14 when Michigan called its second timeout. Michigan pulled within three at 20-17, prompting a PSU timeout. The Blue and White responded, rattling off five of the final eight points, as a kill from Washington punctuated the first frame, finishing the set at 25-20.
The second was tightly contested early on. With four ties and three lead changes near the beginning, the teams went back and forth before a kill for Detering gave PSU an 18-15 advantage. Two plays later Gorrell slammed down a kill in the middle before Washington and Thelen combined for a block the next play to force a Michigan timeout at 20-16 in Penn State's favor. With a service error from Holcomb the Wolverines pulled within three at 22-19. Penn State called for time. Out of the break PSU took the final three points of the set, with a pair of Washington blocks powering the team to a 25-19, set two victory.
Much like the night prior, Penn State put together its best set of the night in the third. The team opened on a 5-1 tear, with a pair of aces from Washington and a kill from Detering forcing Michigan to call for time. Washington would spike the ball in the middle to make PSU the first to 10. Michigan pulled within three at 13-10 before another kill from Washington and her third ace of the set backed the Wolverines into calling time at 15-10. It seemed from there that for every point Michigan scored, Penn State scored twice. An ace from defensive specialist Lainy Pierce highlighted a 5-3 run for the Nittany Lions, bringing the score to 20-13. Michigan would only score twice more, as kills from Frantti and Washington closed out the match with a 25-15 set three win.
NOTES:
Team
- No. 16 Penn State topped No. 22 Michigan in three sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) Saturday night, moving the Nittany Lions to a 10-match winning streak.
- Tonight's win marks Penn State's 11th straight-set victory of the season, improving their overall record to 12-3 and Big Ten record to 4-0.
- Junior Ali Frantti led the offense for the first time of the season posting 11 kills, marking her fifth double figure kill performance. Redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell finished second tallying nine kills in tonight's match.
- Junior Abby Detering recorded her third double-double performance of the season dishing out 35 assists and 11 digs.
- Penn State out-blocked Michigan 11.0 to 4.0 with multi-block performances by six different Nittany Lions. Junior Haleigh Washington and redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell tied to lead the blocking unit with five blocks apiece.
- PSU out-aced the Wolverines 8-2 thanks to service aces from six Nittany Lions. Junior Haleigh Washington led the way with three aces.
Series
- Penn State moves to 48-4 in the all-time series against Michigan and 26-1 in matches played at home in Rec Hall.
Players
Ali Frantti, junior outside hitter: Frantti notched a team-high 11 kills, marking her second consecutive match with double-digit kills. She recorded a season-high three assists to go along with seven digs, two blocks and one service ace.
Abby Detering, junior setter: Detering passed out 35 assists and matched her season-high of 11 digs, marking her third double-double performance of the season. She also added four kills on seven errorless swings to go along with two blocks.
Haleigh Washington, junior middle blocker: Washington registered a season-high three aces to lead the team from the service line. She also tallied eight kills and a match-high five blocks.
Tori Gorrell, redshirt freshman middle hitter: Gorrell helped lead the defense with five blocks for the seventh time of the season and finished second on the team posting nine blocks.
Heidi Thelen, junior middle blocker: Thelen logged a match-high .667 hitting efficiency with six kills on nine errorless swings.
