UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 11 Penn State women's volleyball closed the match with a 7-0 run to secure a 3-2 (23-25, 27-25, 25-17, 15-25, 15-8) win over No. 19 Purdue in a Big Ten matchup Friday night at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions won seven of their final eight matches in the regular season to up their record to 24-7 overall and 13-7 in the Big Ten as they head into the NCAA Tournament. They finished 5-5 against teams currently ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll, including wins over No. 6 Stanford, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 10 Oregon, and the 19th-ranked Boilermakers twice.
Needing a win to boost its resume for a top-16 seed and hosting rights in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Penn State shook off the pressure and rallied behind a crowd of more than 3,500 with a dominant performance in the fifth set. The teams battled to an 8-8 tie before the Lions scored the final seven points. Seleisa Elisaia and Kashauna Williams had kills early on in the run, while Zoe Weatherington put the match away with back-to-back kills for the final two points.
Elisaia and Williams were two of four Penn State players honored for Senior Day following the match, joining Katie Clark and Anastasiya Kudryashova. Clark had one of her best matches as a Lion, hitting .360 with 14 kills and six blocks. She provided the spark in Penn State's 25-17 third-set win that put her team up 2-1 in the match, tallying four kills with no errors on four swings in addition to a pair of blocks.
Clark set the tone early in that third-set win, taking part in four of five Penn State points during a 6-0 run. She had a kill that brought the Lions within two, 4-2, put them up 5-4 with back-to-back kills, and then made it a 6-4 lead when she combined on a block with Williams.
A closely-contested second set played a pivotal role in the final result. Penn State trailed 23-21 before going on a 3-0 run thanks to a pair of kills by Williams and one from Weatherington to take a one-point lead. Purdue denied the Lions' first two chances at set point, but Alexa Markley came through with a kill on the third attempt for the 27-25 victory.
Elisaia had another big statistical night, recording her 12th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 15 digs. She had the double-double taken care of early with 25 assists and 10 digs after two sets.
Elisaia led a group of four Penn State players with double-digit digs. Maddy Bilinovic had 14 to go along with her seven assists, while Cassie Kuerschen and Anjelina Starck tallied 10 digs apiece. Gillian Grimes contributed eight.
The Lions also had four players with double-digit kills. Joining Clark and Weatherington were Williams with 12 and Markley with 11. Allie Holland had a solid all-around match, totaling nine kills, six digs, and five blocks.
Penn State had 13 blocks while holding Purdue to .109 hitting, including a -.125 mark in the final set.
Eva Hudson posted a double-double for Purdue with 17 kills and 14 digs. Grace Balensiefer also had one with 41 assists and 11 digs. The Boilermakers dropped to 20-10 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten.
Penn State improved to 60-9 in the all-time series with Purdue, including a 30-4 mark at Rec Hall. The Lions beat the Boilermakers twice in a season for the first time since 2016.
The NCAA Selection Show will air on ESPNU on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Penn State will be in the tournament field for the 42nd-consecutive season, which is every year the postseason event has been held. It is the only program that can lay claim to that feat.
The 2022 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.