WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Kashauna Williams went off for 22 kills on .381 hitting to lead No. 16 Penn State to a 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-19) road win over No. 15 Purdue in a key Big Ten women's volleyball matchup Saturday night at Holloway Gymnasium.
The Nittany Lions upped their record to 21-6 overall and 10-6 in the Big Ten with their fourth-consecutive victory. Three of those wins came on the road. The Boilermakers dropped to 18-8 overall and 9-7 in the conference, giving the Lions sole possession of fifth place in the Big Ten standings.
In addition to her big night offensively, Williams added four blocks, including two solo. She helped put the match away with six kills and two blocks, including one solo, in the final set. She scored on back-to-back points with a kill and a solo block to put Penn State up 24-19. Katie Clark clinched the win with a kill.
Clark had another big match since moving into the starting lineup at middle blocker three weeks ago. She hit .438 with nine kills and three blocks. She entered the weekend ranked first in the Big Ten in hitting percentage in conference play.
Saturday's match featured two of the top up-and-coming freshmen in the Big Ten and both players lived up to the hype. Penn State's Alexa Markley and Purdue's Eva Hudson each finished with 13 kills.
Penn State put together one of its best defensive performances in the Big Ten portion of the season, holding Purdue to .196 hitting. Maddy Bilinovic led a group of four Lions with double-digit digs with her 19. She had 17 after just three sets thanks to an impressive nine digs in the second. Gillian Grimes, Cassie Kuerschen and Seleisa Elisaia had 10 digs apiece. Anjelina Starck chipped in with eight.
The defensive success was also bolstered by 11 blocks. Allie Holland led that effort with five.
Elisaia added 47 assists to her 10 digs to record her ninth double-double of the season. She showcased her all-around talent by contributing four kills, four blocks, and one ace.
Purdue libero Maddie Schermerhorn did her best to keep Purdue alive in the contest, leading all players with 25 digs. Raven Colvin and Emma Ellis finished with 10 kills apiece.
Penn State didn't cave under pressure while playing in front of a strong Purdue crowd and student section. The Lions erased a 21-17 deficit in set three to take a 2-1 lead in the match. They staved off two set points to tie the score at 24-24, the first coming on a block by Markley and Holland and the second on a Boilermakers attack error. The Lions fought off a third Purdue attempt at set point with a kill by Williams and then took the set 27-25 with two more Boilermakers attack errors with Holland at the service line.
The third set proved to be Penn State's best as far as offensive numbers. The Lions hit .357 behind eight kills on .538 from Williams. Clark hit .800 with four kills. Elisaia, Markley, and Zoe Weatherington had two kills apiece.
The win over Purdue was Penn State's third against a nationally-ranked opponent this season, adding to their victories over Stanford and Oregon in non-conference play.
Penn State is at Rec Hall for its next two matches, starting with No. 9 Minnesota on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The Lions then host No. 3 Wisconsin on Saturday at 8 p.m. Both matches will air live on B1G Network.
Friday's match against Minnesota is Penn State's Wear White match. The contest against Wisconsin on Saturday is the team's annual Silent Set match, which is in its third season.
