Match Info
- Maryland at #1 Penn State
- University Park, PA
- Penn State improves to 25-1 (15-1 Big Ten); Maryland drops to 16-12 (5-11 Big Ten)
- Attendance: 6305
- Box Score
The top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions continue to roll up the victories, this time with the visiting Maryland Terrapins getting the treatment. Set scores were 25-14, 25-21, and 25-16. Simone Lee collected a double-double, her second in a row, and she tallied 10 kills and 13 digs. Haleigh Washington and Kendall White led the defense with 7 blocks and 8 digs respectively. A season high 6,305 fans witnessed the Nittany Lions improve to 25-1 (15-1 Big Ten). Penn State will return to the court on Wednesday, November 15th to host Indiana.
Although the Nittany Lions won the match handily, they did not dominate the box score as the Terrapins led the match in kills 34-31, and assists 32-29. However, Maryland made 29 hitting errors which added up to .047 hitting efficiency compared to a solid .256 for Penn State. The Nittany Lions led the match in blocks 13-7, digs 38-34, and aces 3-2.
Gia Milana led the Terrapins with 14 kills while Erika Pritchard chipped in 10 kills and 9 digs. It has been a tough year for Maryland which started non-conference play with am 11-1 record but has racked up just 5 wins in Big Ten play. The Terrapins will return to action on Friday, November 17th to host Nebraska.
Press Release:
Courtesy of Penn State Athletics
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In front of one of the largest women’s volleyball crowds in Rec Hall history, the No. 1 Penn State women’s volleyball team took down Maryland, 3-0; 25-14, 25-21, 25-16.
In front of 6,305 fans in a boisterous Rec Hall, Penn State jumped out to a big lead in the opening set and set the tone for the match.
Simone Lee (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) finished the match with a double-double as she put down a team-best 10 kills while adding 13 digs. She also added two aces and two blocks, while finishing with a .320 hitting percentage.
Tori Gorrell (Oakville, Ontario) and Ali Frantti (Spring Grove, Ill.) followed with five kills apiece. Frantti had a full stat line as she added six digs, and five blocks, including two solo. Gorrell had an efficient night, hitting .714 while adding three blocks.
Defensively, Haleigh Washington (Colorado Springs, Co.) tallied seven blocks, while Kendall White (Indianapolis, Ind.) added eight digs.
Bryanna Weiskircher (Rockford, Ill.) dished out 15 assists, adding seven digs, while Abby Detering (Mentor, Ohio) added 11 assists, three kills, three digs, and three blocks.
The Nittany Lions held Maryland to just .047 hitting for the match, while out-blocking the Terps, 13.0-7.0.
The Nittany Lions host Indiana on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. for the final home match of the regular season.
Press Release:
Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sophomore outside hitter Gia Milana led the match with 14 kills but No. 1 Penn State was able to take a three-set win (25-14, 25-21, 25-16) over the Maryland volleyball team on Saturday evening.
“I thought we served tough and played hard tonight,” head coach Steve Aird. “Penn State is really experienced and talented, and they do a lot well. I was proud of our squad for continuing to compete in the match.”
Freshman outside Erika Pritchard also reached double-digit kills with 10. The Terps held a 34-31 advantage in kills, but Penn State had 13.0 blocks to control the match.
The top-ranked Nittany Lions were the fifth straight ranked opponent for the Terps, including the fourth straight top-10 opponent on the road. So far this season, Maryland has competed in 12 matches against ranked teams and eight matches against top-10 teams.
Penn State used three big runs to handle the first set. After PSU started out 4-0, Maryland was able to pull within three, 9-6. Another 4-0 run pushed the Nittany Lions ahead 16-8, but Samantha Drechsel had a pair of kills and Pritchard combined with Jada Gardner for a block, but Penn State closed the set with a 5-0 run, all Maryland errors, 25-14.
The Nittany Lions used seven blocks in the second set to help take a 2-0 match lead. A Gardner-Pritchard block and a Milana kill helped the Terps stay within two, 8-6, before a 3-0 run pushed the home team ahead 13-7. Another run put Penn State at 17-10 before kills from Milana, Angel Gaskin and Pritchard pulled Maryland within four, 19-15. The teams traded points, and with Penn State at set point, Gardner extended the game with a solo block before the Nittany Lions finished it, 25-21.
A solo block from Drechsel gave Maryland its first lead, 10-9, in the third set. The Terps stayed close, but took a timeout with PSU leading 15-12. Milana notched two kills but the Nittany Lions got to 19-14. Hailey Murray and Milana posted a block at 19-16, before a 6-0 run finished the game, 25-16.
The Terps return to the XFINITY Center Pavilion for the final two weeks of the regular season. Maryland hosts Iowa and No. 6 Nebraska next Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
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