UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 19 Penn State Women's Volleyball used 10 aces and 10 blocks to get past Michigan with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-13) sweep in a Big Ten match Friday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 16-8 overall and 10-5 in the conference with their ninth sweep of the season. The Wolverines dropped to 6-18 overall and 4-11 in the Big Ten.
The 10 aces matched a season high for Penn State. Camryn Hannah paced the serving success with her four aces, which matched a career high. Gillian Grimes and Allie Holland had two aces apiece, while Mac Podraza and Jess Mruzik each chipped in with one.
Five players contributed to the defensive effort at the net, with Taylor Trammell's five blocks leading the way. Zoe Weatherington recorded four blocks, while Podraza, Hannah, and Holland were each in on three. Two of Hannah's blocks were solo.
Libero Gillian Grimes did her part with 15 digs. Maddy Bilinovic joined her in double-digits with 10.
Mruzik was the only player for either team to reach double-digits in kills with her 13. She added seven digs.
Michigan was led by Jacque Boney with eight kills on .308 hitting but was held to .099 hitting as a team. The Wolverines were coming off three-straight wins over Ohio State, Iowa, and Maryland.
Set 1
Mruzik's five kills and four digs helped Penn State open the match with a 25-23 win in set one. Grimes and Anjelina Starck added five digs apiece. Podraza tallied 13 assists while leading the team to .314 hitting. The set featured seven ties and five lead changes with no team leading by more than three points. Penn State trailed 22-21 before going on a 3-0 run that was capped by kills from Hannah and Weatherington. The Wolverines stopped the first chance at set point, but the Nittany Lions came through on their next chance thanks to a block by Trammell and Weatherington.
Set 2
Hannah's three aces fueled Penn State's 25-22 win in the second set. The first ace was the first point of the set, while the next two came back-to-back during a 6-0 run that put the Nittany Lions up 17-9. The Wolverines clawed their way back to get within one at 23-22. The Nittany Lions then closed the set with a kill by Weatherington and an attack error by Michigan.
Set 3
Penn State was dominant in the third set, finishing off the match with a 25-13 win. Defense led the Nittany Lions to the blowout win in the final set as they held Michigan to -.152 hitting with five blocks and three players with three digs. They also added five more aces, including two from Holland.
Up Next
No. 19 Penn State hosts No. 2 Wisconsin on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Badgers are 23-1 overall and 14-1 in the Big Ten after a 3-0 win at Maryland on Friday.
