Northwestern
6-6,0-2Big Ten
Penn State
8-3,2-0Big Ten
Northwestern Drops Weekend Finale To No. 15 Penn State, 3-0
9/24/2023 3:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Sangiacomo leads 'Cats with nine kills
EVANSTON, Ill. (September 24, 2023) - Northwestern hit just .185 (31-14-92) as it came up on the short end of an 18-25, 15-25, 21-25 defeat at the hands of No. 15 Penn State (8-3, 2-0 B1G) this afternoon inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Today's setback drops the Wildcats to 6-6 overall (0-2 B1G).
How It Happened
SET 1 | A Leilani Dodson service ace staked the 'Cats to an early 3-1 lead in the opening set of the afternoon. Back-to-back spikes from Kathryn Randorf pushed the gap to 8-5. Penn State answered back, taking a 16-14 advantage following consecutive kills from Jess Mruzik, the second of which prompted a Northwestern timeout. After seeing the gap close to 16-15, the Nittany Lions took control with a 7-0 run, building a 23-15 lead on the way to a 25-18 win in the first set.
SET 2 | Another Dodson ace from the service line capped off a set-opening 3-0 run for Northwestern. Penn State again had a response, rattling off the next seven points to charge on top, 7-3. With the visitors' lead sitting at 11-6, a Randorf kill sparked a 4-0 Wildcat push that closed the margin to 11-10. That proved to be as close as Northwestern would get in the frame, as Penn State stepped on the gas en route to a 25-15 victory.
SET 3 | Penn State flipped the script from the opening two sets in the day's final frame, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Northwestern refused to go away, scoring seven of the set's next eight points, the last of which came on a Dodson ace that vaulted the Wildcats in front, 9-8. Following a Dodson ace that knotted the set up at 14-14, the Nittany Lions ripped off four straight points, taking an 18-14 lead following a Mac Podraza kill. Northwestern continued to battle, closing back within three on multiple occasions down the stretch, but could not pull even as Penn State closed out the afternoon, 25-21.
Game Notes
» Julia Sangiacomo paced the Northwestern attack on the afternoon, finishing with nine kills.
» Dodson posted team-best marks in both service aces (3) and blocks (5), in addition to six kills.
» Randorf matched Dodson with six kills of her own.
» Alexa Rousseau handed out a team-best 22 assists.
» Ellee Stinson was credited with a team-high 11 digs.
» Mruzik (18 kills) and Camryn Hannah (16 kills) led Penn State.
Up Next
Northwestern closes out its current homestand against Michigan State in a 7 p.m. first serve on Friday, September 29.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
