No. 13 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Rutgers (25-13, 25-15, 25-21) Sunday afternoon at Rec Hall, on “Kids’ Day Sunday,” which featured areas for face painting, arts and crafts for kids, and a photo area with player and coach cutouts.
Four Penn State players, including Katie Clark, Zoe Weatherington, Alexa Markley, and Allie Holland, led the way offensively with eight kills. Kash Williams had seven kills on an afternoon where Leisa Elisaia guided the Nittany Lions (17-4, 6-4 Big Ten) to a .329 hitting percentage.
Elisaia finished with a match-high 33 assists, seven digs, two kills, and two blocks, while freshman defensive specialist Gillian Grimes led all players with 10 digs in Penn State’s 31st straight win over the Scarlet Knights (7-15, 1-9 Big Ten). Penn State now leads the all-time series 40-9.
Cassie Kuerschen had four digs, two assists, and a career-high four aces against Rutgers, topping her previous best of three on the road at Maryland last season as a freshman. Junior libero Maddy Bilinovic added six digs and three assists.
The Nittany Lions next travel to Champaign, Illinois, for a Wednesday match against the Fighting Illini at 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. Penn State swept Illinois (9-11, 4-6 Big Ten) on October 9 at Rec Hall. Illinois was swept by Ohio State and Nebraska earlier this week.
Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s opening statement:
“Thanks for coming. I’ll say what I always say after matches like this. It’s always great to have a Big Ten win. I thought they played well. There are obviously some things that we’re going to keep working on here moving to the last of our 10 Big Ten matches. I think Leisa set a great game. I think the middles, from Friday to now, are scoring, blocking, and finding ways to win.”
Coach, you’re always emphasizing a strong start and serving aggressively. How important was it to get those aces from Cassie and set the tone early?
KSC: “It’s something we talk about every day. We work on it every day in practice. I think, especially in your own home gym, you should be able to move the ball around a little bit and find ways to score on the end line. But I thought we did a good job, minus a couple plays here and there at the end. I’m happy with our performance.”
Allie, why do you think the team’s been able to have so much success lately on offense?
Holland: “I think that it comes down to what we’re doing in practice. We’ve been getting in there and getting extra reps with our setter. I think that people coming off the bench are also doing great at adjusting to whatever the situation is. So I think those extra reps and just lots of communication.”
Coach, you guys are halfway through conference play and are 6-4 in the Big Ten. Now, with a three-match winning streak, how do you feel about heading into the second half of conference play and your ability to redeem yourself against opponents like Wisconsin and Ohio State?
KSC: “We’re focused on Illinois right now. For us, it’s a quick turnaround. We play at Illinois on Wednesday. It’s nice to celebrate this win, but I always tell them, ‘Leaving this room, we’re onto Illinois.’ We need to have two days of solid practice and prepare for them. Yeah, it’s nice we get a second chance at some of the other teams, but for us, we have to take it one at a time and continue to steal some wins on the road here.”
You had a very good match blocking. How was the communication with Zoe having so many assisted blocks?
Holland: “She’s just great to block next to. She always sets up a great block, which makes my life a lot easier. Being able to block next to great pin blockers I think makes the biggest difference in my blocking. We’ve also just been working on making sure that we’re pressed over, we’re low. I think the communication from front to backcourt was also great today.”
Katie, you hit .700 today. What was the reason for that improvement for you?
Clark: “I think it’s just getting back into my groove and building my own confidence. Leisa’s putting up really great balls. Being able to have a lot of confidence in myself and mix up the shots really has helped me be able to do that.”
Leisa, it seemed like you were really spreading the ball around today. Four of your teammates had eight kills. What does that say about your ability to find different options at different points throughout the match?
Elisaia: “I think the hitters are doing a really great job of being available, especially the middles. They’re always working really hard to be up in the middle, especially in transition. I think our back row is also doing a really great job of putting balls where they need to, so it makes it a lot easier for me to run our offense.”
Leisa, what are some things you enjoy about setting Alexa Markley? What does she do well?
Elisaia: “That girl is just a ball of energy. She’s awesome. Whatever I put up there, I know that she’ll get her feet to the ball and she’ll stay aggressive. She’s doing a really good job adjusting to what we need her to be doing.”
You guys are always focused on playing a consistent game. How did that really shine through today?
Holland: “I think that it’s nice to get a sweep and not drop any sets. I think that proves that we were consistent. I mean, were there a few balls here and there that, do I wish we could go back on? Maybe. But I’m excited that we got a sweep.”