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Sept. 1, 2017
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The fifth ranked Penn State women's volleyball team topped the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal, 3-1; 26-24, 25-17, 18-25, 25-19, in a neutral site battle in Reed Arena on the campus of Texas A&M on Friday evening.
The Nittany Lions were led by dual-threat senior Abby Detering (Mentor, Ohio). Detering, who has been playing both right side and setter, finished the evening with her first career triple-double.
Detering, who has played solely setter most of her collegiate career, has stepped up to the plate in the Nittany Lions' 6-2 offense.
"I used to hit in high school, but I never imagined I'd hit at the collegiate level. I've always been a setter, so this role is different for me," Detering said of her increased offensive role with PSU.
In fact, in just four games, Detering, who has tallied 32 kills, already has one-third of her kill total from 2016, a season where she finished with 95.
And on Friday evening, against the No. 1 team in the nation, Detering had her most productive night as an attacker.
Her 11 kills were a career-high while putting the ball away on a clip of .455.
"I think my setter training has helped me with my new role on the offense," Detering remarked. "When we train, we are constantly looking where the block is, and trying to avoid it, and I believe that experience has helped me get better as a hitter."
Detering also dished out a team-high 23 assists, while scooping up 10 digs to tally the triple-double.
Many of her assists were to fellow seniors Simone Lee (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), Ali Frantti (Spring Grove, Ill.), and Haleigh Washington (Colorado Springs, Co.) who all added double figure kills, as Lee put away 11, and both Frantti and Washington added 10.
Frantti added 14 digs for a double-double, while Washington was a wall at the net, tallying a game-high seven blocks.
Bryanna Weiskircher (Loves Park, Ill.), who plays opposite of Detering, also recorded a double-double as the setter dished out 22 assists and scooped up 11 digs. She also added on two aces.
Libero Kendall White (Indianapolis, Ind.) scooped up 20 digs for her season-high.
Notables
>> Penn State out-blocked Stanford, 12.0-7.0. Heading into the match, Stanford was third in the nation with an average of 3.67 blocks per set.
>> Penn State now holds an 11-9 all-time lead over Stanford.
>> The Nittany Lions handed Stanford their first loss in 293 days and snapped the Cardinal's 13-match win streak.
>> Four Lions were in double figures for digs: White (20), Frantti (14), Weiskircher (11), and Detering (10).
>> Washington hit .625 with 10 kills on 16 attempts without committing an error. Her percentage was the match high.