UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Zoe Weatherington hit .438 with nine kills and Penn State totaled 14 blocks in a 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-12) win over UMBC in the first round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament on Friday at Rec Hall. It was the first NCAA Tournament win for head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.
The fourth-seeded Nittany Lions improved to 25-7 on the season. They will host fifth-seeded UCF in the second round on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Knights advanced with a 3-0 win over Yale in the opening round.
Penn State started fast with a 5-0 run in the opening set and left little doubt the rest of the way in the dominant win. The latest the Lions trailed in any set was 3-2 in the third. They led by as much as 11 in the first set, nine in the second and 13 in the third.
Weatherington led the efficient offensive effort that saw the Lions hit .333 behind 28 assists from Seleisa Elisaia. Allie Holland, Kashauna Williams and Alexa Markley had seven kills apiece, with Holland hitting .462 and Williams hitting .308. Katie Clark added five kills.
Penn State's 14 blocks led to a .000 hitting percentage for the match by UMBC. Holland added eight blocks and six digs to her seven kills. Weatherington, Markley, and Clark each contributed four blocks.
Libero Maddy Bilinovic paced Penn State's back-row defensive effort with nine digs. Gillian Grimes had six.
The service game was strong for the Lions with six aces compared to five errors. Anjelina Starck had back-to-back aces late in the opening set.
Kamani Conteh led UMBC with six kills and a pair of aces. The Retrievers, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament with their third-consecutive America East Tournament title, closed the season at 17-9 overall.
Penn State and UCF will play for just the second time in program history. The Lions swept the Knights last season in a season-opening tournament hosted by the Knights.
The Lions improved to 24-0 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, dating back to 1998 when the event expanded to 64 teams.