Starting with a Bang
Penn State welcomed the first and second rounds of NCAA tournament with open arms. Beginning with LIU Brooklyn Friday night, the Nittany Lions took the opening match in three straight sets. Ariel Scott led in kills with nine, closely followed by a few teammates: Katie Slay-eight kills, Deja McClendon- seven kills, and Nia Grant- six kills. Deja McClendon and Micha Hancock carried the team in blocks- three for McClendon and five for Hancock. Micha Hancock also achieved a team high of four aces behind the line.
This sweep was a great way for PSU to start off the tournament and also continued their winning streak against Brooklyn over the years to 6-0. The final set scores were 25-21, 25-21, and 25-14. A few slow starts at the beginning of the individual sets didn’t stop Penn State from powering through to their first round victory against the Blackbirds.
The team went right back to Rec on Saturday night where they faced Utah in the second round. Another straight set victory advanced Penn State to the Regional Semifinals of the tournament. The sets ended in scores of 25-14, 25-15, and 25-11. Megan Courtney had a career high performance and was the driving force behind PSU’s offense. She totaled a jaw dropping 17 kills in three sets. Deja McClendon followed behind Courtney with nine kills and then Ariel Scott finished in the number three spot with eight kills.
With the overwhelming amount of kills and the near flawless Penn State performance, the team and Coach Russ Rose were very pleased with their victorious weekend.
Now, the Nittany Lions travel to Lexington, Kentucky to face Michigan State, who defeated Kentucky this past weekend. Penn State is 1-1 against Michigan State this season, a close loss to the Spartans in late September then sweet revenge with a win in early November. Hopefully PSU can defeat Michigan State once and for all. The match will start at 5 p.m. Friday, December 13th.
This sweep was a great way for PSU to start off the tournament and also continued their winning streak against Brooklyn over the years to 6-0. The final set scores were 25-21, 25-21, and 25-14. A few slow starts at the beginning of the individual sets didn’t stop Penn State from powering through to their first round victory against the Blackbirds.
The team went right back to Rec on Saturday night where they faced Utah in the second round. Another straight set victory advanced Penn State to the Regional Semifinals of the tournament. The sets ended in scores of 25-14, 25-15, and 25-11. Megan Courtney had a career high performance and was the driving force behind PSU’s offense. She totaled a jaw dropping 17 kills in three sets. Deja McClendon followed behind Courtney with nine kills and then Ariel Scott finished in the number three spot with eight kills.With the overwhelming amount of kills and the near flawless Penn State performance, the team and Coach Russ Rose were very pleased with their victorious weekend.
Now, the Nittany Lions travel to Lexington, Kentucky to face Michigan State, who defeated Kentucky this past weekend. Penn State is 1-1 against Michigan State this season, a close loss to the Spartans in late September then sweet revenge with a win in early November. Hopefully PSU can defeat Michigan State once and for all. The match will start at 5 p.m. Friday, December 13th.
