No. 15 Women’s Volleyball Takes Down Former No. 1 Minnesota
It was a good day to be Penn Stater Wednesday. While it’s always a great day to be a Nittany Lion, No. 15 women’s volleyball (13-3, 5-0) added to Penn State’s takedown of Minnesota this past Saturday in football with a win of their own right here in Happy Valley this past Wednesday.
After a tough start to the season, women’s volleyball has worked hard to reclaim their rightful spot among the top ranked teams in the nation. However, playing Minnesota, who was at the No. 1 spot coming into the game on Wednesday, posed a significant threat to the Lions’ recent winning streak.
Not a team to ever back down from a fight, Penn State took this game all the way to five sets in front of a nearly packed Rec Hall.
Penn State came out strong, winning the first set 29-27, even though they started off trailing by nearly 10 points. It was Simone Lee (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), Haleigh Washington (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Heidi Thelen (Edgewood, Ky.) who helped Penn State stun Minnesota with an 11-6 run for the set win.
The next two sets went to Minnesota, but by less than five points apiece.
The fourth set showed strength from Tori Gorrell (Oakville, Ontario), whose pair of blocks helped the momentum swing to Penn State’s favor and bring them favorably into the fifth with a 25-14 win in the fourth.
The fifth set was a continuation of Penn State’s rally, as Lee, Washington, and Thelen once again were the driving forces behind a 15-10 final set win for Penn State against the once formidable Golden Gophers.
Lee added a career best 30 kills against Minnesota, making her one of Penn State volleyball’s most powerful players in the history of the program.
Penn State notched 22 more kills than Minnesota, closing out the game with a total of 80, and your Nittany Lions locked a .308 hitting percentage (Minnesota notched .237).
Likewise, with this win, Penn State now remains undefeated so far this year in the Big Ten.
The Penn State women’s volleyball team looks to ride this wave of adrenaline into their next game, which is at home in Rec Hall this Saturday at 7 p.m. against Rutgers. Get ready for an amazing weekend of football and volleyball!
After a tough start to the season, women’s volleyball has worked hard to reclaim their rightful spot among the top ranked teams in the nation. However, playing Minnesota, who was at the No. 1 spot coming into the game on Wednesday, posed a significant threat to the Lions’ recent winning streak.
Not a team to ever back down from a fight, Penn State took this game all the way to five sets in front of a nearly packed Rec Hall.
Penn State came out strong, winning the first set 29-27, even though they started off trailing by nearly 10 points. It was Simone Lee (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), Haleigh Washington (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Heidi Thelen (Edgewood, Ky.) who helped Penn State stun Minnesota with an 11-6 run for the set win.
The next two sets went to Minnesota, but by less than five points apiece.
The fourth set showed strength from Tori Gorrell (Oakville, Ontario), whose pair of blocks helped the momentum swing to Penn State’s favor and bring them favorably into the fifth with a 25-14 win in the fourth.
The fifth set was a continuation of Penn State’s rally, as Lee, Washington, and Thelen once again were the driving forces behind a 15-10 final set win for Penn State against the once formidable Golden Gophers.
Lee added a career best 30 kills against Minnesota, making her one of Penn State volleyball’s most powerful players in the history of the program.
Penn State notched 22 more kills than Minnesota, closing out the game with a total of 80, and your Nittany Lions locked a .308 hitting percentage (Minnesota notched .237).
Likewise, with this win, Penn State now remains undefeated so far this year in the Big Ten.
The Penn State women’s volleyball team looks to ride this wave of adrenaline into their next game, which is at home in Rec Hall this Saturday at 7 p.m. against Rutgers. Get ready for an amazing weekend of football and volleyball!
