Ohio State def. #7 Penn State 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 33-31, 25-23)
- Ohio State moves to 10-4 overall, 1-1 Big Ten; Penn State falls to 9-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten
- Box Score
- Ohio State Recap / Penn State Recap
- Attendance: 3,011
Ohio State stunned 4th-ranked Penn State on its home court, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes have defeated the Nittany Lions twice now in the last 22 meetings dating back to the 2007 season. Both wins were earned in Columbus, Ohio.
🌰🌰BUCKEYES WIN!!!🌰🌰
Ohio State grinds to upset the No. 4 Nittany Lions for its first B1G victory of the season!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/erxMz8WCdD
— Ohio State Women's Volleyball (@OhioStateWVB) September 23, 2018
The Buckeyes move to 1-1, rebounding from its loss to 3rd-ranked Wisconsin. With the loss, Penn State is off to an 0-2 start in the Big Ten for the first time since the 2000 season when the Nittany Lions opened conference play with an 0-3 skid. Penn State finished that season with a 30-6 mark overall, 16-4 record in the Big Ten and a NCAA Regional appearance.
Ohio State held the blocking advantage, 13 to 11, and served up 8 aces to earn the team result, despite being out hit by the Nittany Lions offensively, .180 to .135.
An 8-2 closing stretch allowed Penn State to secure the 25-16 win in the first set for an advantage in the match, but the Buckeyes responded with an 8-3 opening drive to establish control in the second set. The Nittany Lions came fighting back to tie it up, 19-all, but could not surpass the Buckeyes, who used a 5-point scoring drive to earn the win, 25-20.
The extended third set contained a string of 23 ties before Ohio State was able to edge Penn State, 33-31, with a Lauren Witte kill and attack error.
Though Penn State was able to tie the score 4 times, Ohio State never gave up its lead in the fourth set to secure the upset with a 25-23 victory.
An EPIC rally to cap off an EPIC upset❗️ #NCAAVB
(via @OhioStateWVB) pic.twitter.com/0hTuFimFTi— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) September 23, 2018
Mia Grunze (12 kills, 13 digs) and Becca Mauer (39 assists, 13 digs) each recorded double-doubles to lead the way for Ohio State. Jordan Fry contributed 11 kills and 7 blocks, while Hannah Gruensfelder logged 17 digs.
UNC graduate transfer Taylor Leath paced Penn State offensively with 16 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double. Bryanna Weiskircher also notched a double-double with 49 assists and 16 digs, while Kendall White tallied 17 digs.
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