UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Zoe Weatherington and Kashauna Williams combined for 25 kills on .500 hitting, and setter Seleisa Elisaia recorded a double-double to lead Penn State women's volleyball to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17) win over Loyola (MD) on Saturday at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 at the season-opening Penn State Invitational, adding the win over Loyola (MD) to their victory against UConn on Friday night. The Greyhounds leave Happy Valley at 1-2, including a win over Duquesne and a loss to West Virginia.
Penn State wraps up competition at its home invitational with a match against West Virginia tonight at 7 p.m.
Weatherington hit .524 while leading the team with 13 kills in the win over the Greyhounds. Williams made her Penn State debut when she entered in the second set and finished with 12 kills on .474 hitting.
After a disappointing first set that saw Penn State fall behind 1-0 with a 25-22 defeat, Weatherington came alive in the second set to help the Lions even the match with a 25-17 win. She had four kills on seven swings, while Elisaia was right behind her with three kills on four attacks. Elisaia added seven assists and five digs.
Williams took over in the third set, showing what her potential could be for the Lions this season. She fueled her team to a seven-point win with five kills and no errors on seven swings. Meanwhile, libero Maddy Bilinovic was getting it done defensively with eight digs to help hold the Greyhounds to .125 hitting in the set.
Williams and Weatherington were again dominant in an efficient manner in the fourth and final set that saw Penn State clinch the match with a 25-17 win. Williams hit .500 with five kills, while Weatherington tallied four kills at a .375 clip. The Lions held the Greyhounds to .081 hitting in the set with eight different players contributing at least one dig. Bilinovic led the way with four.
Bilinovic led all players with 15 digs in the match. Elisaia added 40 assists to her 12 digs for a double-double, while Cassie Kuerschen joined the pair in double-digits with 10 digs. Gillian Grimes chipped in with five.
The serve/receive game was a success for the Lions as they served for eight aces and allowed none from Loyola (MD). Bilinovic had three aces, Alexa Markley served two, and Grimes, Elisaia and Allie Holland contributed one apiece.
Penn State found success with Markley at the line. The Lions trailed 16-13 in the fourth set before going on an 8-0 run that included seven points with Markley serving. They closed that set and the match with a 13-1 run. Elisaia connected with Williams for the final two kills.
