MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Taylor Trammell stepped up big with a career-high 16 kills on .800 hitting to lead No. 15 Penn State Women's Volleyball to a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-20, 28-26) road win over No. 13 Minnesota in a Big Ten match Saturday night at Maturi Pavilion.
The Nittany Lions head back to Happy Valley at 10-3 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten with their sixth-straight win. The Gophers saw their record dip to 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Trammell's previous career high in kills was 10. The middle blocker matched that total early in the third set and was up to 12 entering the fourth and final set. She was perfect on her five swings with five kills in the opening set and then added another unblemished showing with four kills on four attacks in the third set.
Mac Podraza continued to show the much-improved rapport with her hitters during the team's winning streak, totaling 47 assists while guiding the team to .346 hitting. She did a little bit of everything to help get the win as she recorded a double-double with her 12 digs and added four blocks.
Jess Mruzik also had a double-double, doing so for the second-straight night. She led all players with 21 kills on .381 hitting and was second on the team with 15 digs. It was the fifth time this season that Mruzik finished with at least 18 kills and better than .300 hitting. That efficiency comes while she leads the team as a six-rotation player.
Gillian Grimes paced Penn State in two important facets of the game. She led all players with 16 digs and was the driving force behind the Nittany Lions' solid night from the service line. Grimes had four of the team's seven aces. In another highlight of efficiency, those seven aces came with just six service errors.
Taylor Landfair, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, led Minnesota with 16 kills on .394 hitting, but the Gophers were held to .247 hitting as a team. Penn State finished with nine blocks, including seven from Allie Holland. Anjelina Starck and Cassie Kuerschen joined the back-row effort with eight digs apiece.
Set 1
A crowd of more than 5,300 at Maturi Pavilion was quieted early as Penn State jumped out to a 7-1 led on its way to a convincing 25-14 win in the opening set. The Nittany Lions led by as much as 13 at 21-8. Trammell's five kills on five swings highlighted the blowout. Mruzik had four kills on .571 hitting. Penn State hit .464 as a team behind 10 assists from Podraza.
Set 2
Minnesota bounced back with a 25-23 win in the second set. Penn State trailed 24-20 before stopping the Gophers' first three attempts at set point with a Minnesota service error, a kill by Alexa Markley, and a block by Trammell and Podraza. The Gophers finally secured set point with a kill by Landfair. Mruzik and Podraza were strong in a losing effort in set two. Mruzik hit .438 with nine kills. Podraza tallied 14 assists.
Set 3
Trammell's four kills on four swings sparked Penn State's 25-20 win in set three. Markley helped carry the load with four kills on .667 hitting, while Podraza led the team to .560 hitting with her 14 assists. It was a close battle before the Nittany Lions pulled away late. They led 20-18 before scoring five of the final seven points. A kill by Podraza and an ace by Mruzik fueled a 3-0 run to end the set.
Set 4
The fourth set was a battle fitting for two nationally-ranked Big Ten teams. It featured 12 ties and five lead changes. Penn State appeared to have control with a 21-18 lead after a kill by Trammell, but Minnesota went on a 4-0 run to go up 22-21. Trammell came through in the clutch again with a kill that tied the score at 23-23 and Grimes followed with an ace to give her team the first chance at match point. Minnesota had a chance at set point at 25-24 and 26-25. The first was stopped with a kill by Mruzik, while the second was staved off with a block by Podraza and Holland. Holland followed that with a kill to put the Nittany Lions up 27-26. The final point was scored on a Minnesota attack error.
Career Highs
Gillian Grimes – assists (7), aces (4)
Taylor Trammell – kills (16)
Up Next
Penn State hosts Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m., and Ohio State on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions' 2008 NCAA Championship team will be honored at Friday's match, while the 2013 NCAA Championship team will be honored at Saturday's match.
