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Nov. 19, 2014
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Behind a pair of double-digit hitters, No. 4 Penn State women's volleyball (27-3, 15-2) stretched its winning streak to 11 straight with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 27-25) win at Michigan (12-15, 7-10) Wednesday evening at Cliff Keen Arena.
Having won the last 32 consecutive sets, the Nittany Lions have earned their last 10 victories by way of a 3-0 sweep.
Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney led the offense with 12 kills, adding four blocks and two digs. Junior Megan Courtney notched her first double-double of the season, registering 10 kills on .400 hitting, as well as 10 digs and five blocks.
Senior Nia Grant led the defensive effort with a career-high 10 blocks, including one solo stuff. Grant also finished third on the team with nine kills on .727 hitting. The Nittany Lions out-blocked the Wolverines 13.5-5.0.
Freshmen Ali Frantti and Haleigh Washington added eight kills apiece. Senior Dominique Gonzalez rounded out the defensive effort with a team-high 13 digs.
Senior Micha Hancock paced the team to a .371 hitting clip, dishing out 43 assists to go along with five digs, two blocks and a pair of kills. With one ace, Hancock tallied her 92nd ace of the season, which resets the Penn State single-season record that she previously set in 2011.
Trailing by two early in set one, 3-2, Whitney put down a trio of kills to lift the Nittany Lions ahead by one, 4-3. The Wolverines responded with two kills in between an error to tie the frame, 5-5. Penn State rallied with a 6-0 streak to widen the advantage to as many as six, 11-5. Michigan cut off the run with a kill, but PSU followed with a 3-2 stretch to remain on top, 14-8.
The Wolverines fired back with a 3-0 strike to trim the gap to three, 14-11. A kill from Frantti sparked a 4-1 streak that pushed Penn State ahead by six, 18-12, prompting the Wolverines to call their final timeout of the frame. Michigan came out of the break with three straight to move back within three, 18-15. Penn State regrouped with a 5-2 stretch capped off by a block from Washington and Hancock to make it 23-17.
Michigan made one final attempt to mount a comeback with back-to-back kills, but a kill from Frantti and a block by Hancock and Frantti locked up a 25-19 win in the first set.
Leading by one in set two, 6-5, Washington sparked a 4-1 strike to give the Nittany Lions a four-point cushion, 10-6. The Wolverines answered back with a 4-1 streak to charge within one, 11-10. Whitney broke up the momentum with a kill, but the two teams continued to trade points, keeping it tight throughout the second half of the stanza.
Tied up at 21-21, Frantti and Grant paired up for two consecutive kills to vault the Nittany Lions on top by two, 23-21. The Wolverines halted the rhythm with a kill, but Frantti followed with a kill to make it set point, 24-22. A PSU service error held off the attempt, but Whitney put down the final kill of the set to secure a 25-23 win heading into the intermission.
Clinging to a slim two-point lead, 7-5, Penn State put together a 3-1 spurt capped off by consecutive kills from Washington and Grant to move ahead, 10-6. The Wolverines slowed the momentum with a pair of kills, but a solo stuff from Grant and a kill from Frantti pulled PSU up by four, 12-8. Michigan responded with four unanswered points to tie the stanza, 12-12.
Penn State cracked open the tied frame with a 4-0 stretch finished off by two blocks from Grant and Courtney to remain on top, 16-12. Michigan answered with back-to-back blocks to shave the lead to four, 16-12, but two kills from Courtney and one from Washington sent the Nittany Lions ahead by five, 19-14. Unable to shake the Wolverines, Michigan responded with a 5-2 run to charge within two, 21-19, forcing PSU to call a timeout.
Washington came out of the break with a kill, but the Wolverines battled back with five straight to take over a two-point lead, 24-22. A Michigan attack error and a kill from Whitney evened the score, 24-24, before a PSU service error handed U-M the edge, 25-24.
Penn State held off another attempt with a kill from Grant and block by Courtney and Grant to reclaim the lead, 26-25, before a Michigan attack error wrapped up a 27-25 win for the Nittany Lions to complete the sweep.
Next up, Penn State has a quick turnaround, remaining on the road this weekend. The Nittany Lions travel to Maryland to take on the Terps Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. ET.