Sept. 29, 2017
Final Stats | PSU Photo Gallery
| 3 | 0 |
| Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. | 3547 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| HTML Box Score || Penn State 3, Illinois 0 |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball team bested the visiting University of Illinois, 3-0; 25-19, 25-17, 26-24, in Big Ten action on Friday evening in Rec Hall.
Penn State saw senior Haleigh Washington (Colorado Springs, Co.) lead the team in kills for the first time this season, as the middle blocker put down a game-high 11 kills on an impressive clip of .647. She also added four blocks and two service aces to her stat line.
Fellow senior Heidi Thelen (Edgewood, Ky.) proved to be a key contributor in the Nittany Lions' victory. The middle blocker led the team with six blocks, including two solos. Her most important solo block was the set and match point as she stifled the Illini attack. Thelen was also effective on offense, putting down five kills on eight attempts without an error for a hitting percentage .625.
Simone Lee (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) tallied 10 kills on the evening, making it 13-straight matches this season that the outside hitter has put down double-digit kills.
Abby Detering (Mentor, Ohio) paced the Nittany Lions with 21 assists, while Bryanna Weiskircher (Rockford, Ill.) added 14.
Penn State hit .337 on the evening while holding Illinois to a .200 hitting percentage. The squad also dished out six service aces, while Illinois did not record a single one.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday evening with a new time of 7:30 p.m. against Northwestern. The game was pushed back 30 minutes to accommodate for fans coming from the Penn State vs. Indiana football game at Beaver Stadium.