As volleyball fans look forward to Part II of Penn State vs. Ohio State (Friday night, 7:00 p.m. in Rec Hall), Nittany Lion fans can focus on the fact that in Part I (in Columbus on Wednesday night) Penn State (20-2, 9-2) swept Ohio State  (19-4, 8-3) 25-18, 25-15, 25-17.  To be sure, there were many good things to take away from that match for PSU: the team is coming together, getting healthy, working in new rotations that will make it tough for opponents to game-plan against them, communicating better, blocking better, getting in-sync on offense.

Date (Time)	Opp	Site	Media
10-30-15 (7:00 p.m. ET)		Rec Hall Univ. Park, PA

6-1 So. OH  Ali Frantti had her best match of the season (at least on offense) with 14 kills (.417 attack %) and 2 aces.  6-4 RS Sr. MB/RS Aiyana Whitney registered 9 kills, and a career-high .562 attack %, and led Penn State with 7 blocks (1 solo).  6-2 Sr. OH/RS Megan Courtney played in her first match since the loss to Northwestern, and did just fine: 9 kills (23 attacks), 3 blocks and 2 digs.  6-0 RS Fr. setter Bryanna Weiskircher continued to develop, guiding the team to a .349 attack %, and leading the team with 10 digs.  Penn State dominated the front row, with an 11.0-5.0 advantage over Ohio State in blocking.  5-5 Sr. DS Kendall Pierce and 5-8 So. DS Lainy Pierce were singled out by the announcers for “lighting it up defensively” from the back row.

But before we fans get ahead of ourselves, remember that the Buckeye’s starting setter, Taylor Hughes,was injured.  And think about these points made by Penn State fan Future:

Often times when you see huge leads open up — like last night [against Ohio State], for example, or in the 1st set against Nebraska — it is a combination of your team executing at a high level in an area or two, and the opposing team just frankly being awful in most of theirs.  Last night in the first set, Penn State was serving very well and the Buckeyes just couldn’t get the ball past the block and committed numerous unforced errors.

Eventually a good team — and OSU is a good team — will figure it out and begin to play their game.  When that happens, suddenly the team with a huge lead ALSO has to remember to execute in all aspects of the game.  Sometimes that team is not ready to go.

So if Ohio State can manage a better start — and a healthy Taylor Hughes certainly would help them do that — they might turn things around, and make a match of it.  We wouldn’t bet against that outcome.  Then again, we don’t bet.

Stat Joust – Ohio State and Penn State

(Conference matches only)

Hitting Percentage	S	K	E	TA	Pct.
Purdue	36	512	165	1176	.295
Penn State	42	557	195	1423	.254
Wisconsin	37	500	175	1322	.246
Michigan	40	541	206	1397	.240
Minnesota	43	588	205	1609	.238
Michigan State	35	462	179	1202	.235
Ohio State	45	601	237	1555	.234
Nebraska	38	527	199	1472	.223
Northwestern	33	433	185	1164	.213
Illinois	37	500	223	1337	.207
Maryland	36	445	221	1272	.176
Iowa	34	406	198	1200	.173
Indiana	37	474	252	1332	.167
Rutgers	35	371	220	1195	.126

 

Opp. Hitting Pct.	S	K	E	TA	Pct.
Minnesota	43	557	276	1660	.169
Penn State	42	520	264	1504	.170
Nebraska	38	495	227	1462	.183
Purdue	36	436	207	1226	.187
Wisconsin	37	475	220	1366	.187
Michigan State	35	432	205	1203	.189
Ohio State	45	557	255	1568	.193
Illinois	37	504	207	1346	.221
Michigan	40	561	207	1428	.248
Northwestern	33	415	145	1083	.249
Indiana	37	479	161	1211	.263
Iowa	34	490	163	1197	.273
Maryland	36	486	164	1168	.276
Rutgers	35	501	159	1211	.282

 

Blocks	S	BS	BA	Total	Avg./S
Penn State	42	31	198	229	3.1
Nebraska	38	18	192	210	3.0
Wisconsin	37	10	192	202	2.9
Minnesota	43	19	200	219	2.8
Ohio State	45	35	168	203	2.6
Purdue	36	25	128	153	2.5
Illinois	37	11	157	168	2.4
Michigan State	35	24	122	146	2.4
Rutgers	35	8	142	150	2.3
Maryland	36	18	108	126	2.0
Michigan	40	16	120	136	1.9
Northwestern	33	23	81	104	1.9
Indiana	37	10	110	120	1.8
Iowa	34	14	84	98	1.6

 

Blocks by Opponents	S	BS	BA	Total	Avg./S
Penn State	42	15	133	148	1.9
Purdue	36	13	117	130	2.0
Wisconsin	37	15	123	138	2.1
Ohio State	45	16	154	170	2.1
Nebraska	38	21	115	136	2.1
Michigan State	35	20	114	134	2.2
Minnesota	43	24	140	164	2.2
Northwestern	33	16	136	152	2.5
Illinois	37	15	158	173	2.5
Michigan	40	30	146	176	2.6
Maryland	36	15	172	187	2.8
Indiana	37	14	176	190	2.8
Rutgers	35	25	155	180	2.9
Iowa	34	23	160	183	3.0

 

Service Aces	S	No.	Avg./S
Maryland	36	52	1.4
Michigan State	35	38	1.1
Indiana	37	42	1.1
Northwestern	33	36	1.1
Minnesota	43	41	1.0
Nebraska	38	37	1.0
Iowa	34	33	1.0
Ohio State	45	47	1.0
Rutgers	35	33	0.9
Penn State	42	37	0.9
Wisconsin	37	33	0.9
Purdue	36	29	0.8
Michigan	40	24	0.6
Illinois	37	20	0.5

 

Service Aces by Opponents	S	No.	Avg./S
Nebraska	38	15	0.4
Penn State	42	28	0.7
Illinois	37	26	0.7
Minnesota	43	30	0.7
Michigan	40	29	0.7
Indiana	37	33	0.9
Wisconsin	37	35	0.9
Michigan State	35	38	1.1
Maryland	36	40	1.1
Iowa	34	37	1.1
Ohio State	45	48	1.1
Rutgers	35	41	1.2
Northwestern	33	42	1.3
Purdue	36	57	1.6

 

Individual Leaders
(Must have competed in at least 50% of team’s games)

Hitting Percentage	S	K	E	TA	Pct.
Haleigh Washington, Penn State	42	111	24	217	.401
Faye Adelaja, Purdue	36	87	22	162	.401
Danielle Cuttino, Purdue	36	86	20	170	.388
Gabrielle Hazen, Northwestern	18	38	11	71	.380
Krystalyn Goode, Michigan	27	43	10	91	.363
Haleigh Nelson, Wisconsin	37	81	14	185	.362
Alyssa Garvelink, Michigan State	35	78	26	153	.340
Maddie Slater, Northwestern	33	72	21	153	.333
Taylor Sandbothe, Ohio State	44	117	32	260	.327
Molly Lohman, Minnesota	36	55	16	122	.320
Jazzmine McDonald, Indiana	27	56	21	116	.302
Allyssah Fitterer, Michigan State	30	61	19	140	.300
Aiyana Whitney, Penn State	42	120	34	288	.299
Abby Cole, Michigan	40	126	43	281	.295
Tionna Williams, Wisconsin	37	78	26	180	.289

(Must have at least 3.33 attacks per set)

 

Kills	S	No.	Avg./S
Daly Santana, Minnesota	43	194	4.5
Jocelynn Birks, Illinois	31	133	4.3
Adreene Elliott, Maryland	36	149	4.1
Annie Drews, Purdue	36	140	3.9
Megan Courtney, Penn State	28	101	3.6
Elizabeth Campbell, Ohio State	44	145	3.3
Michelle Strizak, Illinois	34	111	3.3
Abby Cole, Michigan	40	126	3.2
Kadie Rolfzen, Nebraska	38	123	3.2
Amelia Anderson, Indiana	36	116	3.2
Meme Fletcher, Rutgers	35	112	3.2
Mikaela Foecke, Nebraska	34	110	3.2
Audra Appold, Ohio State	40	121	3.0
Lauryn Gillis, Wisconsin	37	112	3.0
Lauren Brobst, Iowa	34	102	3.0
Symone Abbott, Northwestern	33	99	3.0

 

Service Aces	S	No.	Avg./S
Makayla Lundin, Indiana	3	2	0.7
Adreene Elliott, Maryland	36	18	0.5
Allison Hammond, Indiana	17	8	0.5
Mikaela Foecke, Nebraska	34	12	0.4
Bryanna Weiskircher, Penn State	42	13	0.3
Daly Santana, Minnesota	43	13	0.3
Kelsey Wicinski, Maryland	36	12	0.3
Haleigh Nelson, Wisconsin	37	11	0.3
Holly Toliver, Michigan State	34	11	0.3
Anna Sudbury, Rutgers	35	11	0.3
Luisa Schirmer, Ohio State	44	11	0.3
Ashley Evans, Purdue	35	10	0.3
Ashley Mariani, Iowa	34	9	0.3
Abbie Kraus, Northwestern	33	9	0.3
Haleigh Washington, Penn State	42	10	0.2
Elizabeth Campbell, Ohio State	44	9	0.2
Taylor Sandbothe, Ohio State	44	9	0.2
Taylor Hughes, Ohio State	37	9	0.2
Valeria Leon, Ohio State	45	8	0.2
Amanda Neill, Purdue	36	8	0.2
Taylor Lebo, Indiana	37	8	0.2
Molly Kelly, Iowa	34	8	0.2
Ali Schroeter, Rutgers	35	8	0.2
Rachel Minarick, Michigan State	35	8	0.2
Dalianliz Rosado, Minnesota	43	7	0.2
Sarah Wilhite, Minnesota	39	7	0.2
Taylor Morey, Wisconsin	37	7	0.2
Amy Dion, Maryland	36	7	0.2
Megan Tallman, Indiana	35	6	0.2
Lauren Carlini, Wisconsin	37	6	0.2
Julia Conard, Illinois	26	6	0.2
Annika Albrecht, Nebraska	38	6	0.2
Lindsey Lerg, Michigan	37	6	0.2
Loxley Keala, Iowa	34	6	0.2
Kayla Morin, Northwestern	33	5	0.2
Caroline Niedospial, Northwestern	33	5	0.2
Alyssa Klostermann, Iowa	26	5	0.2
Samantha Fogg, Indiana	32	5	0.2
Lydia Dimke, Purdue	6	1	0.2

 

Blocks	S	BS	BA	Total	Avg./S
Tionna Williams, Wisconsin	37	4	54	58	1.6
Haleigh Washington, Penn State	42	11	50	61	1.5
Amber Rolfzen, Nebraska	38	5	52	57	1.5
Mikaela Matthews, Rutgers	9	0	13	13	1.4
Paige Tapp, Minnesota	43	5	52	57	1.3
Cecilia Hall, Nebraska	38	4	44	48	1.3
Taylor Sandbothe, Ohio State	44	12	42	54	1.2
Ali Bastianelli, Illinois	36	1	43	44	1.2
Haleigh Nelson, Wisconsin	37	3	41	44	1.2
Danielle Cuttino, Purdue	36	8	34	42	1.2
Hannah Tapp, Minnesota	43	4	42	46	1.1
Aiyana Whitney, Penn State	42	3	42	45	1.1
Molly Lohman, Minnesota	36	2	36	38	1.1
Eden Frazier, Rutgers	35	3	35	38	1.1
Alyssa Garvelink, Michigan State	35	9	29	38	1.1
Megan Tompkins, Michigan State	17	3	16	19	1.1

 

Digs	S	No.	Avg./S
J Wong-Orantes, Nebraska	38	197	5.2
Annika Olsen, Iowa	34	163	4.8
Dalianliz Rosado, Minnesota	43	194	4.5
Caroline Niedospial, Northwestern	33	149	4.5
Brandi Donnelly, Illinois	37	154	4.2
Taylor Morey, Wisconsin	37	153	4.1
Abby Monson, Michigan State	35	138	3.9
Megan Courtney, Penn State	28	106	3.8
Valeria Leon, Ohio State	45	160	3.6
Courtney Harnish, Indiana	37	127	3.4
Kelsey Wicinski, Maryland	36	123	3.4
Amanda Neill, Purdue	36	123	3.4
Keeton Holcomb, Penn State	42	138	3.3
Lindsey Lerg, Michigan	37	117	3.2
Daly Santana, Minnesota	43	129	3.0