COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 14 Penn State Women's Volleyball closed the regular season with a six-match winning streak after sweeping Ohio State 3-0 (27-25, 25-12, 25-23) Friday night at the Covelli Center.
The Nittany Lions improved to 21-8 overall and 15-5 in the Big Ten. They are a lock to play in the NCAA Tournament for a 43rd consecutive season and now just wait for Sunday's Selection Show to see if they will open the tournament at Rec Hall or on the road. The Selection Show will air at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
Camryn Hannah continued her success against conference opponents, hitting .286 with 17 kills and two aces. She stepped up huge in Big Ten play this season, hitting .283 with 3.13 kills/set and 17 total aces over the 20 matches.
Jess Mruzik joined Hannah in double-digits with her 12 kills and added five digs and two blocks. Allie Holland was strong in the middle with seven kills and five blocks. Maddy Bilinovic, who like Holland is an Ohio native, finished with eight digs, while Gillian Grimes had nine.
Mac Podraza made the most of her return to the Covelli Center, where she played home matches as a setter for Ohio State for the first four years of her collegiate career. She recorded her 11th double-double with 34 assists and a match-high 13 digs.
Penn State held Ohio State to .057 hitting. Emily Londot, one of the best hitters in the Big Ten, tallied 15 kills, but the Nittany Lions did a great job limiting her efficiency, holding her to .104 hitting.
Penn State improved to 53-21 in the all-time series with Ohio State. It was the first time the Nittany Lions recorded a two-match season sweep of the Buckeyes since 2015.
Set 1
Penn State erased an early 7-2 deficit and took the early momentum in the match with a 27-25 win in the first set. The Nittany Lions chipped away at the early deficit until going on a 3-0 run that tied the score at 14-14 on a kill by Hannah. The Buckeyes went on to take a four-point lead at 19-15, but the Nittany Lions used a 4-0 run and tied the match on a kill by Mruzik. Penn State's first lead of the set came at 21-20 on an Ohio State attack error. The Buckeyes had the first chance at set point but were denied thanks to a kill by Taylor Trammell. The Nittany Lions' first chance at set point was denied at 25-24 but they took the 1-0 lead in the match with back-to-back kills by Hannah to make it 27-25.
Set 2
Penn State dominated the second set, hitting .385 on its way to a 25-12 win. Hannah hit .500 with five kills, while Mruzik was right behind her with four kills. The Nittany Lions used a 12-0 run to go up 18-6. Hannah had an ace and was at the line for 11 points during the run. She also went on to clinch the set with a kill.
Set 3
Podraza tallied 11 assists while leading Penn State to a 25-23 win in the final set. Penn State had the largest lead of the set at 22-18 following a block by Zoe Weatherington and Holland. The Buckeyes fought back to tie it at 23-23, but the Nittany Lions responded with the next two points to end the match. The first came on a kill by Hannah, and the second came on a kill by Mruzik.
Up Next
The NCAA Selection Show will air on ESPN on Sunday at 6 p.m.