EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 13 Penn State Women's Volleyball lost to an unranked team for the first time all season Saturday, falling 3-2 (25-20, 11-25, 16-25, 25-18, 18-16) to Michigan State in a Big Ten match at the Breslin Center.
The Nittany Lions remained in third place in the Big Ten standings with a record of 15-6 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Spartans improved to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten with their first win in the series since 2013.
Penn State nearly pulled off a big comeback in the fifth set, erasing a 12-7 deficit and even getting two chances at match point before Michigan State pulled off the upset with an 18-16 victory.
The Nittany Lions were strong defensively at the net with 19 blocks while holding the Spartans to .156 hitting, but the offense struggled with a .135 hitting percentage. Taylor Trammell was in on eight blocks, while Allie Holland had seven in addition to her seven kills.
Jess Mruzik led Penn State with 19 kills, while Camryn Hannah was next with eight. Mac Podraza recorded a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs. Gillian Grimes had 13 digs to join Podraza in double-figures.
Maddy Bilinovic fueled Penn State's successful night at the service line with four of the team's 10 aces. Anjelina Starck had three aces.
Taylah Holdem was the top player statistically for Michigan State with a double-double of 14 kills and 10 digs.
Set 1
Michigan State closed the opening set on a 5-1 run on its way to the 25-19 win. Evie Doezema hit .667 with four kills and chipped in with a pair of digs.
Set 2
Penn State bounced back with an easy 25-11 win in the second set. The Nittany Lions opened with a 7-0 run all with Starck at the service line. She scored two of the final three points of the run with aces. Mruzik finished the set with seven of the team's 11 kills while hitting .462.
Set 3
Penn State again won easy in the third set, holding Michigan State to -.129 hitting on its way to a 25-16 victory. The Nittany Lions pulled away with a 5-0 run that put them up 16-11. Trammell had back-to-back solo blocks during the run. She had four blocks in the set, while Holland had three.
Set 4
Michigan State hit .379 and held Penn State to -.029 hitting as it won 25-18 in the fourth set. Karolina Staniszewska, Doezema, and Holdem had three kills apiece for the Spartans.
Set 5
Penn State trailed 13-9 before going on a 3-0 run with a kill by Hannah, a solo block by Podraza, and a kill by Mruzik. Michigan State had the first chance at match point at 14-12, but the Nittany Lions scored the next three points, including kills by Mruzik and Starck. The Nittany Lions' chances at match point were stopped by the Spartans at 15-14 and 16-15. A block by Amani McArthur and Aliyah Moore, followed by a kill by Holdem gave the Spartans the upset.
Career Highs
Maddy Bilinovic – aces (4)
Taylor Trammell – solo blocks (5)
Up Next
No. 13 Penn State hosts No. 1 Nebraska on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The match will air live on B1G Network.
