PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Zoe Weatherington hit .588 with 13 kills and Penn State hit .348 as a team in a 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 26-24) win at Rutgers in Big Ten women's volleyball action Sunday.
The Nittany Lions upped their record to 19-6 overall and 8-6 in the Big Ten. The win was the 1,400th in program history, making Penn State just the second program in Division I women's volleyball to reach the milestone.
Rutgers, which was coming off a 3-0 win over Iowa in its most recent match, dropped to 8-18 overall and 2-12 in the conference.
Allie Holland was right behind Weatherington statistically, finishing with 11 kills on .478 hitting. She added five blocks and sealed the win with an ace in a 26-24 win in set three. Alexa Markley and Kashauna Williams added seven kills apiece.
Penn State held Rutgers to .146 hitting thanks to nine blocks as a team and 16 digs from Maddy Bilinovic. Cassie Kuerschen and Gillian Grimes chipped in with seven and five digs, respectively.
Seleisa Elisaia guided the Lions to an efficient offensive effort with her 41 assists. She also contributed to the defensive effort with five digs.
After cruising through the first two sets, Penn State found itself in a fight in set three. The Lions trailed by six at 20-14 before clawing their way back, starting with a kill by Williams. The used a 3-0 run to get within two, 21-19, thanks to a kill by Katie Clark, a block by Weatherington and Holland, and a solo block by Markley.
Another 3-0 run gave Penn State the lead at 24-23 late in the third set. Holland tied it up with a kill before Williams gave the Lions the lead with a kill of her own. A service error tied it back up, but the Lions scored the final two points with a solo block by Williams and Holland's ace.
Taylor Humphrey was the lone Rutgers player to reach double-digits in kills with her 11. She added eight digs.
Penn State improved to 41-9 in the all-time series with Rutgers, posting its 31st-consecutive victory in the series. The Lions haven't lost to the Scarlet Knights since 1982.
The Lions are back on the road for their next two matches, marking the seventh-straight week they will travel for at least one match. They play at Indiana on Friday at 6 p.m., and head to Purdue for a match on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Indiana is 13-13 overall and 6-8 in the Big Ten following a five-set loss to No. 4 Nebraska, while No. 14 Purdue is 18-6 overall and 9-5 in the conference after beating Michigan 3-1.
The 2022 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
