UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 11 Penn State came out on the wrong end of a wild five-set match against No. 6 Ohio State, falling 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 26-28, 25-14, 17-15) in a Big Ten women's volleyball match Saturday night at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions dropped to 17-6 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten, while the Buckeyes improved to 15-5 overall and 11-1 in the conference with their 10th-straight win. It was the second five-set match between the teams this season.
Kashauna Williams had a huge match for Penn State, finishing with 24 kills on .314 hitting. Ohio State countered with 24 kills and 10 digs from Gabby Gonzales. The Buckeyes hit .266 as a team compared to .183 for the Lions.
Penn State jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to big early performances from multiple players. Allie Holland had five kills on .556 hitting, Williams totaled five kills on .500 hitting, and Maddy Bilinovic tallied an impressive nine digs in the 25-19 win.
The Lions looked poised to go up 2-0 in the match before the Buckeyes stormed back from down 24-21 to get the 27-25 victory. Penn State then turned the tables, erasing a 24-19 deficit on its way to a 28-26 win in set three. Gillian Grimes had back-to-back aces to tie the set at 24-24. The Lions eventually went up 2-1 in the match following an Ohio State service error and attack error.
A lopsided win by Ohio State in set four set up a classic fifth set. Williams tied it up at 11-11 with a kill and then the teams traded the next nine points before the Buckeyes clinched the victory with a kill by Gonzales. Williams had six kills in the final set.
Holland hit .364 with 14 kills, eight blocks and six digs for the match. She scored four straight points with three kills and a solo block to give Penn State a 24-19 lead in the first set.
Seleisa Elisaia recorded her seventh double-double of the season for the Lions, racking up 51 assists and 14 digs while also serving up four aces. Katie Clark had one of her best matches as a Nittany Lion, contributing 12 kills on .476 hitting and three blocks.
Five Penn State players reached double-digits in digs, including a team-high 20 by Bilinovic. Joining her and Elisaia were Cassie Kuerschen with 14 and Grimes and Anjelina Starck with 10 apiece.
Mac Podraza registered a double-double for Ohio State with 53 assists and 13 digs. Kylie Murr almost had one, too, as she finished with a match-high 22 digs in addition to nine assists. Rylee Rader hit .571 with 12 kills.
Saturday marked Penn State's fifth match of the season against a team that is currently in the top 10 of the AVCA Coaches Poll.
The Nittany Lions are back on Big Ten for their next match when they host Maryland on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Terrapins are 13-8 overall and 4-8 in the conference following a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Nebraska in their most recent match.
