| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | | #10 Penn State | 16 | 18 | 25 | 21 | 1 | #4 Wisconsin
| 25 | 25 | 18 | 25 | 3 |
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| Penn State Statistical Leaders | | Kills: S. Lee - 19 | | Blocks: H. Washington - 6 | | Digs: K. White - 16 | | Assists: A. Detering - 36 | | Aces: A. Detering - 3 |
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| Stat Comparison | PSU | UW | | Kills | 44 | 67 | | Hitting Pct. | .216 | .331 | Assists
| 43 | 66 | | Aces | 5 | 5 | | Digs | 53 | 73 | Total Team Blocks
| 12.0 | 8.0 |
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MADISON, Wisc. - The No. 10 Penn State women's volleyball team (17-5, 9-2 Big Ten) fell in a tough, 3-1 (16-25, 18-25, 25-18, 21-25) match at the hands of the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers (17-3, 9-2 Big Ten), inside UW Fieldhouse Friday evening.
The Nittany Lions were led on offense by the outsides once again, with junior outside hitters Simone Lee and Ali Frantti leading the way, each scoring in double-figures. Lee led the team with 19, while Frantti added 11 in the four-set defeat.
Penn State out-blocked the Badgers, 12.0-8.0, with five Nittany Lions logging multi-block nights. Junior middle blocker Haleigh Washington led the way with six and added six kills, while classmate Heidi Thelen added four blocks and five kills of her own. Junior setter Abby Detering had a trio of rejections and a team-high 36 assists. Lee and redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell both posted a pair of blocks as well.
The Nittany Lions have no time to dwell on the setback, continuing their tough road swing tomorrow evening, where the team will face No. 3 Minnesota in Minneapolis. The match will be played in Sports Pavilion, with first serve set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The match is set to broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.
The opening set went back and forth early, before consecutive kills from Washington and Frantti gave PSU a 5-3 lead. Two plays later Detering scored on a kill of her own to give PSU a two-point, 6-4 advantage. Wisconsin tied the match at 8-all, when a back row kill from Frantti gave PSU a 9-8 lead. The Badgers responded with a 4-0 run, when the Nittany Lions called for their first timeout, behind 12-9. Wisconsin scored three more times before and error made it a five-point set in Wisconsin's favor, 15-10. The Badgers went on to score three more consecutive points before PSU used its second timeout, trailing 18-10.
Penn State and Wisconsin went back and forth out of the break, swapping points, but the effort proved not to be enough. Wisconsin outscored Penn State, 7-6, in the final 13 plays to take the first, 25-16.
Washington nailed the ball on the slide to open the second set. The two sides tussled, as kills and an ace from Lee tied the second frame at 6-6. Both sides committed errors before tying once again at 8-all. The Nittany Lions built a small gap, as a monster kill from Detering and a block from Washington and Lee the next play made the score 11-9 in PSU's favor. Another kill on the slide from Washington the next play extended the lead to three at 12-9. The Badgers responded with a run of their own, tying the match at 14-all. Thelen scored the next play with a deft touch, giving PSU a 15-14 lead headed into the media timeout.
The Badgers scored three in a row out of the break before a kill from Lee pulled Penn State within one at 17-16. Wisconsin scored twice more, prompting the first Penn State timeout, behind 19-16. An overturned call three plays later gave Wisconsin a 21-17 edge, before Washington responded with a kill to close the gap to three. The Badgers closed out the second on a 4-0 run to take the two set lead with a 25-18 win.
Penn State took the first three points of the third set, first forcing an error before an ace from Frantti and a block by Lee. Wisconsin tied the match at 4-4, before Detering posted a block and an ace the next play to take a 6-4 lead. Wisconsin tied the match at 7-all, before a kill from Thelen and a block by Frantti opened the lead back to two at 9-7. The Badgers tied the set before a kill from the back row by Lee gave PSU a 10-9 advantage. Wisconsin tied the match at 10-all before Washington scored on a kill and a block in consecutive plays. The Badgers knotted the match at 12-12, before scoring three of the next four to take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout.
Lee and Detering manufactured a 4-0 run, with Lee starting and finishing the spurt on kills, while Detering scored on a pair of aces for a 17-15 lead. Wisconsin called its first timeout to try and end the run, but were unsuccessful, as Lee thundered down another kill. A kill from Thelen the next play forced Wisconsin's second timeout with a 19-15 lead. Lee hammered down two kills over the next three plays, before Thelen and Frantti logged kills to make it 23-16. A block from Thelen and Gorrell made it set point before Frantti slammed down her eighth kill of the night for a 25-18 set three victory.
The Nittany Lions opened the fourth on a 3-0 skid before an error and a kill from Lee at the end of a long rally pulled the Nittany Lions within one. The two sides vied for position, before a 4-0 run from the Badgers led Penn State to call for time, trailing 10-5. An error from the Badgers and a block from Washington cut the Badgers' lead to three at 10-7. The sides swapped points, with a kill from Lee making the score 12-9 in the Badgers' favor. Wisconsin went on to open up a 4-1 run, forcing the PSU bench to call for time, down 16-10.
Lee knocked down a kill and UW committed a handling error to cut the Wisconsin lead to four at 16-12. Wisconsin grew the lead to 19-12, before a block by Thelen and Gorrell and an errant attack forced the Badgers to call for time with a 19-14 lead. Penn State cut the lead to three before Wisconsin rattled off two points of its own to take a 21-16 lead. The Badgers went on to commit a handling error before Frantti's 11th kill forced UW to call for time at 21-18. Penn State fended off set point before a kill from the Badgers sealed it, 25-21.
NOTES:
Team
- No. 10 Penn State fell to No. 4 Wisconsin, 3-1 (16-25, 18-25, 25-18, 21-25) Friday evening in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Following the loss, Penn State moves 17-5 in 2016, with a 9-2 record in league play.
- A pair of Nittany Lions in junior outside hitters Simone Lee and Ali Frantti recorded double-figure kills. Lee led the team for the 20th time during the season with 19. Frantti added 11.
- With her performance, Lee surpassed the 600 career kill mark.
- Penn State out-blocked the Badgers, 12.0-8.0, with five Nittany Lions registering multi-block outings. Junior middle blocker Haleigh Washington led the way with six. Right side Heidi Thelen added four blocks, while setter Abby Detering had three. Lee and redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell had a pair of blocks each.
- The 12 team blocks marked the third-most in a single match during 2016.
- Following Friday, PSU is 5-4 against ranked teams and 3-3 in televised matches during the 2016 campaign.
Series
- Penn State holds a 46-8 lead against the Badgers all-time following the loss. PSU is now 18-7 when facing Wisconsin in Madison.
Players
Simone Lee, junior outside hitter: Lee recorded a team-best 19 kills, adding six digs, a pair of blocks and an ace. It marks the 20th time in 2016 she has led the team in kills. With her fifth kill of the match, she surpassed the 600 career kill marker.
Ali Frantti, junior outside hitter: Frantti posted 11 kills, eight digs, a block and an ace in the four-setter. It was the eighth time that the junior has reached double-figure kills during the 2016 campaign.
Haleigh Washington, junior middle blocker: Washington posted a team-best six blocks in the outing while adding six kills and three digs. It was the 13th time she led the team's defensive efforts at the net during the season.
Abby Detering, junior setter: Detering dished out 36 assists and added eight digs. She also posted three aces, leading the team in the category for the eighth time.
Heidi Thelen, junior middle blocker: Thelen registered five kills and four blocks in the loss.
Kendall White, freshman defense specialist: White notched 16 digs in the match, leading Penn State for the 19th time.
