UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's volleyball closed the opening weekend of the season on a strong note with a 3-1 (25-14, 25-10, 20-25, 25-19) win over West Virginia on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 3-0 with all three wins coming over a two-day span at the Penn State Invitational, while the Mountaineers left Happy Valley with a record of 2-1.
The Lions' other wins came against UConn on Friday and Loyola (Md.) on Saturday to take first place in the event. Zoe Weatherington was selected as the tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Seleisa Elisaia and Maddy Bilinovic.
Bilinovic started at libero all three matches and led the defensive effort with 4.18 digs/set. She was all over the floor against West Virginia while posting a career-high 19 digs. That, along with Penn State's 15 blocks, contributed to the Mountaineers hitting just .053 for the match. They were held to .000 or worse hitting in three of the four sets.
Allie Holland was one of numerous players that contributed to the block party as she matched a career high with nine. Taylor Trammell had six blocks, Kashauna Williams was right behind her with five, and Elisaia chipped in with four.
Elisaia did a little bit of everything, including 36 assists and 10 digs for her second double-double of the day. Anjelina Starck was the top connection for Elisaia against West Virginia. The sophomore led all players with a career-high 16 kills. Weatherington and Williams joined her in double-digits with 10 apiece.
In addition to her role in the back row, Bilinovic contributed offensively with three aces. She also had three aces in the win over Loyola (MD) earlier in the day to give her a team-best six on the weekend.
Penn State was firing on all cylinders in the first two sets, cruising to an 11-point win in the first and 15-point win in the second. The Lions trailed just one time during those two sets and that was when the Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead to start the match.
Adrian Ell and Bailey Miller made the All-Tournament Team for West Virginia. Against Penn State, Ell led the team with nine kills and added seven digs. Miller finished with eight kills and seven digs.
Penn State improved to 31-0 in the all-time series with West Virginia. The teams also met last year, with the Lions winning that matchup 3-0 in Morgantown.
The Lions now turn their attention to their first road trip of the season. They travel to Baton Rouge on Friday and Saturday for the Tiger Classic, where they will take on Iowa State, Troy, and the host, LSU. It will mark the team's first trip to Baton Rouge since 2006.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Zoe Weatherington, Penn State (MVP)
Maddy Bilinovic, Penn State
Seleisa Elisaia, Penn State
Adrian Ell, West Virginia
Bailey Miller, West Virginia
Allie Garland, UConn
Anita Parrot, Duquesne
Lauren Link, Loyola