MADISON, Wis. – No. 11 Penn State fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set before falling 3-2 (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 20-25, 15-8) to No. 2 Wisconsin in the Regional Semifinal of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament on Thursday at the UW Field House.
The Nittany Lions, who were competing in their 34th NCAA Regional, closed the season at 26-8 overall. They competed in their 42nd-consecutive NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament to remain the only program in the country to play in the event every year.
The Badgers upped their record to 28-3 with their 21st-straight victory. They will play Pitt in the Regional Final on Saturday at the UW Field House.
Penn State fell behind 2-0 in the match before coming alive in the next two sets in front of a raucous crowd in Madison. The Lions trailed 21-18 in the third set before tying it up with a 3-0 run. The Badgers took a 22-21 lead, but the Lions responded with another 3-0 run that included a kill by Alexa Markley, an ace by Gillian Grimes, and a kill by Allie Holland. Kashauna Williams secured the 25-23 win with a kill. Markley and Williams had four kills apiece in the set, while Cassie Kuerschen contributed six kills.
The fourth set wasn't as close as Penn State took a 12-11 lead and never trailed again on their way to a 25-20 triumph. The Lions had five aces in the set, including two apiece from Kuerschen and Seleisa Elisaia. Katie Clark hit .625 with six kills to lead the offensive attack.
Penn State scored the first point in the fifth set on a kill by Williams, but Wisconsin came right back with a 6-0 run. The Lions would only get as close as four at 7-3.
Williams led the Lions with 14 kills and was impressive defensively with five blocks, including three solo. Clark was right behind her with 13 kills on .296 hitting. Zoe Weatherington racked up 11 kills, while Allie Holland added eight.
A strong performance from the service line kept Penn State in contention. The Lions had 10 aces in the match, led by Elisaia with four in addition to her 48 assists and seven digs. Grimes added three aces to her nine digs.
Two Penn State players had double-digit digs. Maddy Bilinovic led the team with 17. Kuerschen tallied 10.
Blocks led Wisconsin to the win as the Badgers piled up 23 on the night. Caroline Crawford had 12. Anna Smrek and Danielle Hart tallied eight apiece. Smrek also had 13 kills on .579 hitting.
Thursday's match wrapped up Katie Schumacher-Cawley's first season as head coach of Penn State. The Lions appeared in every week of the AVCA Coaches Poll, getting as high as No. 9 in the nation.
The 2022 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
