Oct. 8, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Behind a dominant performance on both side of the ball and an enthusiastic crowd of 5,312 inside Rec Hall on Saturday night, the No. 15 Penn State women's volleyball team (14-3, 6-0 Big Ten) made short work of visiting Rutgers (4-15, 0-6 Big Ten), sweeping the Scarlet Knights, 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-10).
Penn State extended its sterling record in conference play by dominating on both sides of the ball. The team was guided to .425 hitting as a group, as junior setter Abby Detering dished out 40 assists to find seven different players who scored. Juniors Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington along with redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell each reached double-figure kills. Gorrell and Lee led the way with 11 kills each, while Washington posted 10 on a team-best .750 hitting.
On the defensive end, the team was equally impressive. Holding the Scarlet Knights to .024 hitting, the Nittany Lions out-blocked Rutgers 9.5-4.0. Washington led the way with five blocks, while Lee, Detering, Gorrell and junior right side Heidi Thelen each added three. Freshman libero Kendall White notched a team-best 14 digs while junior outside hitter Ali Frantti contributed seven and defensive specialist Keeton Holcomb tacked on six digs of her own.
Senior Laura Broerman played a key role in the serving game, accounting for three of Penn State's four aces, including the match-winning point.
Penn State takes to the road next weekend for another tough slate of league matches. The Nittany Lions will first face Purdue on Friday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m., before taking on Indiana on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Gorrell powered the offense in the first set, posting five kills on six attempts to lead the way, as PSU won, 25-13. After an early 3-3 tie, The Nittany Lions went on a 6-2 run capped by a kill in the middle from Washington. With the score set at 9-5 to PSU's advantage, Rutgers called for time. The break didn't stop the Nittany Lions, as Detering responded with a kill out of the break. Kills from Gorrell and Thelen before a block from the two and Lee gave Penn State a seven-point advantage, prompting the second Rutgers timeout at 17-10. Kills from Lee and Gorrell out of the break gave the Blue and White a 10-point advantage at 20-10. The Scarlet Knights scored three more times before Frantti pounded home the set-securing kill.
The second set was the most tightly contested, as both sides went back and forth to 10-10. From there, Penn State ripped open a 5-0 run, sparked by a pair of kills from Lee and Gorrell. Rutgers scored once before another 4-0 run for the Nittany Lions, with an ace from Broerman highlighting the spurt. Rutgers used its second timeout, before trading points with Penn State. A kill from Frantti made it set point. Rutgers fended off once chance from Penn State before a Scarlet Knights' service error closed out the set at 25-16.
The Nittany Lions hit at a .391 clip and tallied a total of six blocks in the final frame, holding Rutgers to just five kills in the third. With three blocks in the first five points, a Broerman ace made it 6-0, Penn State, and forced the Rutgers timeout. RU pulled within four at 11-7 before the Nittany Lions responded with a 5-1 run, powered by kills from Thelen and Washington. Rutgers scored twice before consecutive kills from Washington and Lee made the score 18-10 in PSU's advantage. Rutgers called for time, but Penn State would complete a 9-0 run, ending with the aforementioned Broerman ace, to earn the win with a 25-10, set three victory.
NOTES:
Team
- No. 15 Penn State defeated Rutgers in straight sets, 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-10). It marked 12-straight victories for the team, and improved its record to 6-0 in conference play.
- Over the 12-match winning streak, Penn State (14-3, 6-0 Big Ten) has dropped just three sets.
- As a team, Penn State registered 48 kills, the most this season in a three set match. Tori Gorrell and Simone Lee led the way with 11 kills each, while Haleigh Washington added 10 on a team-best .750 hitting. Right side Heidi Thelen added seven, while outside hitter Ali Frantti scored five.
- Lee led the team in kills for the 15th time this year, while Gorrell's output made it her first time with a team-best performance offensively.
- Penn State out-blocked Rutgers 9.5-4.0, with six blocks coming in the final frame. Six players registered blocks in the match. Haleigh Washington posted a team-best five blocks, while Lee, Thelen, Gorrell and setter Abby Detering each posted three. Nia Reed logged a block as well.
- Penn State held Rutgers to .024 hitting over the course of the night. Leading the nation in opponent hitting percentage, it marked the fifth time this season that Penn State has held its opposition to a .050 clip or lower.
Series
- Penn State holds a 29-9 advantage in the all-time series against Rutgers and a 16-1 edge in matches played at home in Rec Hall against the Scarlet Knights.
Players
Haleigh Washington, junior middle blocker: Washington led the team in hitting percentage (.750) and blocks (five) while scoring on 10 kills and adding a pair of digs.
Simone Lee, junior outside hitter: Lee recorded a team-best 11 kills, leading the team in the category for the 15th time in 2016. She added three blocks, and six digs.
Tori Gorrell, redshirt freshman middle blocker: Gorrell posted a team-high 11 kills, leading the category for the first time ever. She hit at a .714 clip and added three blocks
Abby Detering, junior setter: Detering dished out 40 assists, the most for her in a three set match this season. She added three kills on .750 hitting, three blocks, and five digs.
Kendall White, freshman defense specialist: White notched a match-best 14 digs, leading the Nittany Lions in the statistical category for the 14th time.
Laura Broerman, senior defense specialist: Broerman scored the match winning ace with her career-best third ace of the night.