UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Jess Mruzik led all players with 20 kills and Gillian Grimes recorded a career-high 19 digs to lead No. 13 Penn State Women's Volleyball to a 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-14, 25-19) win over Seton Hall in a non-conference match Saturday at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions improved to 6-3 on the season and clinched the title at the Penn State Classic with a pair of wins. The Pirates dropped to 6-4 and will play the final match of the event against UMBC on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Mac Podraza recorded a double-double in the win, finishing with 40 assists and 10 digs. Penn State had four players reach double-digits in digs, including Cassie Kuerschen with 15 and Anjelina Starck with 10. That helped hold Seton Hall to .138 hitting.
Penn State's blocking effort also contributed to the Pirates' low hitting percentage as the Nittany Lions totaled 11 for the match. Camryn Hannah and Allie Holland were in on five apiece, each finishing with one solo block and four block assists.
Alexa Markley finished off a solid weekend for Penn State with 10 kills on .296 hitting. She had 10 kills on .308 hitting in a sweep of UMBC on Friday night. Hannah had nine kills, while Trammell chipped in with seven on .312 hitting.
Jenna Walsh paced Seton Hall with 12 kills and nine digs. Taylor Jakubowski had a double-double with 17 kills and a team-high 12 digs.
Set 1
Hannah had five kills and Mruzik was right behind her with four as Penn State pulled away late for a 25-20 win in the first set. Seton Hall led as late as 19-18 and the score was tied at 20-20 following a Penn State service error. The Nittany Lions secured the 1-0 lead in the match thanks to a 5-0 run to end the set. Hannah and Mruzik had two kills apiece during the run. It was Mruzik who scored the final point off a set from Podraza.
Set 2
Seton Hall reversed the score with a 25-20 win of its own in the second set. Grimes did her part defensively with eight digs, but Penn State was held to .098 hitting. The Pirates had six blocks. Hannah Tulli was in on four of them. They used a 4-0 run to go up 15-11 and never trailed again.
Set 3
Penn State flexed its muscles in the third set with a 25-14 win. Seton Hall scored the first point before the Nittany Lions went on a 9-0 run. Mruzik and Hanna each had two kills during the run. Mruzik finished with five kills in the set, while Markley hit .667 with four kills. Grimes and Kuerschen had six digs apiece.
Set 4
Trammell stepped up big in the final set with four kills on .429 hitting to lead Penn State to a match-clinching 25-19 win. Mruzik tacked on five more kills on .333 hitting. Seton Hall got within two at 21-19, but Trammell responded with a kill that started a 4-0 run. Mruzik eventually secured the victory with her 20th kill with an assist from Podraza.
Career Highs
Gillian Grimes – digs (19)
Anjelina Starck – assists (4)
Up Next
Penn State opens Big Ten play with a home match against Rutgers on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The match will air live on B1G Network.