Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Battles #2 Penn State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
October 25, 1998
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern gave No. 2 Penn State a scare in game one, fighting back from a 7-2 deficit to take an 11-9 lead, but the Nittany Lions held on for a 15-11 victory that led them to a 3-0 triumph overall.
Junior right side hitter Leah Ackerman (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Highlands Ranch) provided a spark in the early Wildcat rally, smacking down a team-high seven kills on nine attempts with no errors. The Nittany Lions held off the Northwestern surge when Carrie Schonveld served two points to put Penn State ahead, 13-11. An NU hitting error and a kill by Schonveld sealed the game.
Penn State turned up the intensity in game two, jumping out to a 14-0 lead before Northwestern senior setter Liz Renius (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) and junior middle blocker Kitty Owen (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) combined for a block which got the Wildcats on the board for their only point of the game.
The Cats made it a contest in game three behind senior outside hitter Jessica Holloways (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon)four kills, but Penn States skill at the net proved too much. Lauren Cacciamani finished with a match-high 15 kills for the Nittany Lions, while Emily Stout had a match-best hitting percentage of .692 on 10 kills with only one error.
Ackerman finished with a season-high nine kills for Northwestern. Senior outside hitter Carmen Burbach (Columbus, Neb./Scotus Central Catholic) had eight kills and a team-high eight digs.
Next match, Friday October 30, at Michigan State, 6:00 p.m.
Scoring by Games 1 2 3 Penn State 15 15 15 Northwestern 11 1 6Attendance - 618Northwestern Leaders Penn State Leaders Kills: Jessica Holloway (11) Kills: Lauren Cacciamani (15) Assists: Liz Renius (39) Assists: Bonnie Bremner (43) Digs: Carmen Burbach (7) Digs: Bonnie Bremner (8) Blocks: Melissa Doan (3) Blocks: Emily Stout (7) Service Aces: Doan, Holloway (1) Service Aces: Carrie Schonveld (2)
Updated Records: Northwestern 13-9, 3-7 Big 10; PSU 20-0, 10-0 Big 10
