UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Freshman Allie Holland turned in a solid performance in her first career start, but No. 10 Penn State fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-23) to No. 19 Ohio State on Wednesday night at Rec Hall.
The Lions record is now 4-4 overall and in the Big Ten, while the Buckeyes remained undefeated at 12-0 and sit all alone in first place of the Big Ten standings. It was Ohio State's first win at Rec Hall since 2004.
Holland hit .615 with eight kills and zero errors on 13 swings. She added two block assists. Holland helped Penn State hit .275 as a team.
On the other side of the next, Ohio State hit .380 as a team and allowed just two service aces. Four players hit better than .400 with at least eight kills, led by Lauren Witte with eight kills on .667 hitting. Vanja Bukilic totaled nine kills on .563 hitting, Rylee Rader finished with eight kills on .538 hitting, and Emily Londot tallied 13 kills on .423 hitting.
Looking to keep their hopes in the match alive, Penn State fended off one match point attempt thanks to a kill by Anastasiya Kudryashova to get within one point, 24-23. The Buckeyes finished it off on the next try with a kill by Londot.
Kudryashova led Penn State in kills with 11 on .320 hitting. Annie Cate Fitzpatrick totaled 10 kills and five digs.
Penn State has little time to dwell on the loss as the Lions have just a one-day break before returning to action with matches against No. 11 Purdue Friday and Saturday. Friday's match is scheduled for 7 p.m., while Saturday's contest is set for 2 p.m.
Saturday's match against Purdue will air live on ESPNU. It is the fourth television match of the season for the Lions, who have played three on Big Ten Network. They are scheduled to be on Big Ten Network five more times this season.