COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Junior middle blocker Allie Holland hit .500 with 13 kills to lead No. 13 Penn State to a 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22) win over Maryland in a Big Ten women's volleyball match Friday night at the XFINITY Center Pavilion.
The Nittany Lions improved to 16-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten with a win over a red-hot Maryland team. The Terrapins, who dropped to 12-9 overall and 3-6 in the conference, had won three straight matches, including a sweep over then-No. 9 Purdue.
Holland showed off her versatility with a well-rounded match, adding four aces, five digs, and two blocks to her double-digit kill total. It was her second-straight match with four aces, tying her with Seleisa Elisaia for a team-best 19 on the season.
The service game played a big role for Penn State in the win as it finished with 11 aces. Gillian Grimes was right behind Holland with three, while Elisaia and Anjelina Starck added two apiece.
Joining Holland with double-digit kills were Kashauna Williams with 13 and Zoe Weatherington with 11. Katie Clark came off the bench in the first set following a Penn State injury and stepped up with nine kills on .353 hitting and four blocks. Alexa Markley added eight kills.
Elisaia racked up 55 assists to smash her previous career high of 49 that she set in four sets in a win over Iowa State earlier this season. She added five kills on .667 hitting, eight digs, and two blocks. Only Grimes and Cassie Kuerschen had more digs on the day as the duo shared the team lead with 10 each.
Penn State broke ties late in two of the sets it won. The teams were tied at 22-all in the first set before the Lions secured the early match lead with a 3-0 run thanks to kills by Weatherington and Markley and a Maryland attack error.
Set four was an even battle up until the teams were deadlocked at 19-19. Elisaia broke the tie with a kill and Holland followed with an ace. With Penn State leading 22-21, Clark came through with back-to-back kills. Markley put the finishing touches on the victory with a kill on the Lions' second chance at match point.
Maryland, which entered the match ranked first in the nation in blocks/set at 3.43, finished with 14 blocks. Both middles had strong performances for the Terrapins. Rainelle Jones hit .667 with nine kills and four blocks, while Anastasia Russ hit .438 with nine kills and eight blocks.
Penn State improved to 31-5-1 all-time against Maryland with its 28th-consecutive win in the series. The last loss came in 1979.
Up next for the Lions is a home match against Rutgers on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Scarlet Knights are 7-14 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten following a 3-1 loss to Northwestern on Friday.
