UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Anjelina Starck tallied four of her eight kills in the fifth set to help No. 14 Penn State edge Indiana 3-2 (18-25, 25-9, 25-21, 19-25, 15-11) in Big Ten women's volleyball action Friday night at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions improved to 11-3 overall and 5-0 in the Big Ten with their seventh-consecutive victory. The Hoosiers dropped to 12-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
After playing four sets that saw zero ties and zero lead changes, the two teams battled in the fifth set with seven ties and two lead changes. An Indiana service error gave Penn State a 10-9 lead, and Camryn Hannah followed with a kill to make it 11-9. After a Penn State service error cut its lead to 11-10, the Nittany Lions scored the next two points on a kill by Hannah and an ace by Maddy Bilinovic. They again allowed one point before responding with the final two points of the match. A kill by Mruzik set up match point. Mac Podraza and Allie Holland followed with a block to finish off the win.
Hannah provided a spark for Penn State early and finished with 15 kills on .324 hitting. Starck carried the load late and turned in eight kills on .538 hitting in addition to 11 digs.
Mruzik and Podraza each recorded a double-double for Penn State. Mruzik led all players with 19 kills and added a team-high 15 digs for her third-straight double-double and fifth of the season. Podraza finished with 45 assists and 12 digs for her third double-double of the season.
Penn State, the top blocking team in the Big Ten entering the match, piled up 16 more against Indiana. Allie Holland fueled that effort with nine blocks, including two solo. Hannah was next with five, while Mruzik and Taylor Trammell were in on four apiece.
The Nittany Lions had four players reach double-digits in digs as Gillian Grimes had 13 to join Mruzik, Podraza, and Starck. Bilinovic chipped in with six digs in addition to her two aces.
Indiana entered as the Big Ten's leader in aces but managed just one against Penn State. Candela Alonso-Corcelles paced the Hoosiers overall with 15 kills and 17 digs.
Penn State improved to 61-1 in the all-time series with Indiana, including a perfect 32-0 at Rec Hall.
Set 1
Indiana jumped out to a 10-4 lead on its way to a 25-18 win in the opening set. Avry Tatum led the way with four kills apiece, while Alonso-Corcelles, Mady Saris, and Kaley Rammelsberg all had three. Alexa Markley paced Penn State with four kills.
Set 2
Penn State bounced back strong with a 25-9 win in the second set. The Nittany Lions started with a 5-0 run, upped their lead to 11-1, and led by double-digits the rest of the way after going up 17-7. Penn State hit .591 in the set compared to -.179 by Indiana. Hannah hit .714 with five kills, while Mruzik's five kills came on .571 hitting. Hannah also had four blocks.
Set 3
Penn State again started fast in the third set with an early 7-1 lead. Indiana fought back this time, getting within one at 10-9. The Nittany Lions responded with an incredible 5-0 run by Mruzik. She started it with two kills, added a solo block, and then finished it with two more kills. The Hoosiers continued to fight as they got back within two at 22-20. A kill by Hannah and an ace by Bilinovic made it 24-20. Mruzik went on to end the set with a kill.
Set 4
Keeping with the pattern, the team that scored the first point never trailed on its way to winning the set. This time it was Indiana with a 25-19 victory. The Hoosiers led by as much as nine at 20-11. Alonso-Corcelles totaled five kills on nine swings.
Set 5
Starck came up big in the final set. She had a kill that tied the score at 4-4 and then a run of three straight kills to give Penn State a 7-6 advantage. The Nittany Lions held an 8-7 lead as the teams switched sides. They broke a 9-9 tie with a service error by the Hoosiers and went on to receive the big plays from Bilinovic, Mruzik, Podraza, and Holland to get the win.
Up Next
No. 14 Penn State hosts No. 24 Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Buckeyes are 6-8 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten following wins over Maryland and Rutgers.
