Nittany Lions continue winning momentum in sweep over Ohio State
Penn State is slowly but surely working its way back up the AVCA poll rankings. Now at No. 3 the Nittany Lions tacked on another win over No. 11 Ohio State on Wednesday evening in the first of two back-to-back games against the Buckeyes (25-18, 25-15, 25-17).
Sophomore Ali Frantti was the powerhouse behind the Penn State offense with 14 kills and two aces. She also had five blocks and six digs on defense. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney followed with a consistent .562 hitting percentage and nine kills. Whitney led the team’s blocking game with six blocks.
Senior Megan Courtney also made the top-three list in her debut back from an injury that forced her to sit the bench for the past four games. Courtney had nine kills against the Buckeyes, three blocks and two digs.
Redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher led the defense with 10 digs and contributed to the powerful offense with 35 assists.
The Nittany Lions jumped to an early lead in the first set and kept a steady pace throughout the match. Ohio State tried to knock away at Penn State’s lead but the duo of Courtney and Frantti at the net wouldn’t allow it.
In set two, Penn State got off to a bit of a slow start. They trailed the Buckeyes 8-5 until Ohio State hiccupped with three consecutive errors followed by two Penn State kills.
Later in the set, Ohio State came back to tie it up at 12-12. Two immediate Penn State kills took off the edge and projected the team into two more big runs to finish off the game at 25-15.
Again, early in the third set the score came to a tie at 4-4. Frantti replied with a kill that spurred a 5-0 run and forced a timeout. Frantti came back from the break with two aces and kept the momentum on Penn State’s side of the court.
The Nittany Lions continued to produce solid runs with few interruptions from the Buckeye offense and ended the third set at 25-17 to complete the sweep.
Penn State returns home to Rec Hall this Friday evening to take on the Buckeyes on Nittany Lion stomping grounds at 7 p.m.
Sophomore Ali Frantti was the powerhouse behind the Penn State offense with 14 kills and two aces. She also had five blocks and six digs on defense. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney followed with a consistent .562 hitting percentage and nine kills. Whitney led the team’s blocking game with six blocks.
Senior Megan Courtney also made the top-three list in her debut back from an injury that forced her to sit the bench for the past four games. Courtney had nine kills against the Buckeyes, three blocks and two digs.
Redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher led the defense with 10 digs and contributed to the powerful offense with 35 assists.
The Nittany Lions jumped to an early lead in the first set and kept a steady pace throughout the match. Ohio State tried to knock away at Penn State’s lead but the duo of Courtney and Frantti at the net wouldn’t allow it.
In set two, Penn State got off to a bit of a slow start. They trailed the Buckeyes 8-5 until Ohio State hiccupped with three consecutive errors followed by two Penn State kills.
Later in the set, Ohio State came back to tie it up at 12-12. Two immediate Penn State kills took off the edge and projected the team into two more big runs to finish off the game at 25-15.
Again, early in the third set the score came to a tie at 4-4. Frantti replied with a kill that spurred a 5-0 run and forced a timeout. Frantti came back from the break with two aces and kept the momentum on Penn State’s side of the court.
The Nittany Lions continued to produce solid runs with few interruptions from the Buckeye offense and ended the third set at 25-17 to complete the sweep.
Penn State returns home to Rec Hall this Friday evening to take on the Buckeyes on Nittany Lion stomping grounds at 7 p.m.
