COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 8 Penn State jumped out to a 2-0 lead but dropped the last three sets in a 3-2 (17-25, 13-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-8) loss to unbeaten Ohio State on Wednesday night at the Covelli Center. The Nittany Lions, who were playing their third match in five days – all against unbeaten opponents – fell to 2-3 overall and in the Big Ten, while the Buckeyes improved to 7-0, 7-0.
Penn State's middle blockers had the team off to a fast start while leading it to a relatively easy win in set one. Kaitlyn Hord had five kills on six attacks and Serena Gray tallied four kills on six attacks. Neither of the players had an error as the Lions took a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Lions rolled to a 12-point win in set two thanks to a solid showing at the service line. Annie Cate Fitzpatrick led the charge there with three aces, while Keatan Broughton contributed one. Fitzpatrick finished with a career-high four aces, helping the Lions total 10 as a team.
Everything that was going right for Penn State in the first two sets turned around in a negative way during Ohio State's comeback. The Lions were hitting .279 through two sets but finished the match at .165. They had six aces through two sets and four in the final three.
Wednesday's game was the midway point of a brutal stretch of the schedule for the Lions as far as the amount of volleyball being played. The Lions played at Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday night, played at Ohio State on Wednesday night, and will now head back to State College for matches against Indiana on Friday and Saturday, giving them five matches in a span of eight days.
Hord nearly posted a double-double with blocks and assists for the second straight match, totaling 11 kills on .308 hitting and eight total blocks. Gray hit .357 with 13 kills and four blocks. Jonni Parker and Anastasiya Kudryashova each assisted on five blocks to help the team finish with 12.
Jenna Hampton recorded a career-high number of digs for the second consecutive matches, this time finishing with 25. Gabby Blossom had 14 and added 46 assists for her third straight double-double.
Ohio State's defensive play was impressive in the final three sets. The Buckeyes finished with 73 digs for the match with four players recording double-digit digs. Mac Podraza and Kylie Murr led the way with 15 apiece. Podraza added 42 assists, five kills and three blocks.
Emily Londot and Vanja Bukili led the offensive attack for the Buckeyes. Londot led all players with 20 kills, while Bukili hit .303 with 16 kills.
Penn State's matches with Indiana at Rec Hall are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches will stream on Big Ten Network+.