No. 7 Penn State Reverse Sweeps Wisconsin to Keep B1G Title Hopes AliveNo. 7 Penn State Reverse Sweeps Wisconsin to Keep B1G Title Hopes Alive
Mark Selders

No. 7 Penn State Reverse Sweeps Wisconsin to Keep B1G Title Hopes Alive

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 7 Penn State pulled off its second reverse sweep of the season Friday night at Rec Hall, coming back from two sets down to beat No. 5 Wisconsin 3-2 (19-25, 15-25, 25-12, 25-22, 15-11) in front of a raucous crowd of 4,927 fans. The Nittany Lions kept their hopes of a Big Ten women's volleyball title alive with the win, moving into a tie with the Badgers for first place with one match to play.

Penn State upped its record ot 24-4 overall and 17-2 in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin dropped to 21-6 overall and 17-2 in the conference. The Lions can clinch a share of the conference title with a win over No. 8 Minnesota on Saturday at Rec Hall and could win the title outright with a win and a Wisconsin loss to Rutgers.

Wisconsin appeared to have Penn State reeling with easy wins in each of the first two sets, but a rotation change by the Lions to start the third set led to a dominant 25-12 win and a full momentum change. The Lions hit .556 in set three, led by Serena Gray with seven kills on nine swings. Tori Gorrell added four kills on five swings. 
 


The momentum clearly carried over to the fourth set as Penn State jumped out to a 7-0 lead with Emily Sciorra at the service ace. She had an ace during the run, Gorrell had two kills, and the Lions had three consecutive blocks at one point. Kaitlyn Hord was a part of all three blocks, with Jonni Parker joining her on two and Gorrell helping with one. Hord was a part of six of the team's 12.5 blocks in the match.

If the the 2-0 deficit was the first time people could have counted out Penn State, the second came midway through the fourth set. The Badgers wasted little time in erasing that 7-0 deficit, battling back to tie it at 12-12 before eventually taking a 14-13 lead. But the Lions weren't done. The teams traded the next 11 points before Penn State regained the lead at 20-19 on a block by Serena Gray and Parker. That was a part of a 4-0 run that have the home team the lead for good. The set was clinched on a kill by Hord.
 


Penn State never trailed in the fifth set but didn't really pull away until the end. Leading 12-10, the Lions scored three of the final four points of the match, including a kill by Gorrell off a set from Gabby Blossom for the final point.

 


Never one that's afraid to turn to any player on the roster in a big moment, head coach Russ Rose looked to sophomore Brooklyn Hill in a key moment early in that fifth set. She entered the match for the first time -- just her fourth match played this season -- and served for four straight points that put Penn State up 8-3. Gray, Allyson Cathey, and Blossom all had kills during that run.

The Lions struggled in the passing game early in the match which resulted in Hord getting minimal swings from her spot in the middle, but once they cleaned that up -- due in large part to the play of senior Emily Sciorra -- Hord made the most of her opportunities. The sophomore tallied 11 kills and no errors on 17 swings for a .647 hitting percentage. She was one of four Penn State players with double-digit kills. Gorrell had 13 on .357 hitting, Gray tallied 13 on .333 hitting, and Parker finished with 12 in addition to her 10 digs. 

Blossom finished with a double-double of 48 assists and 10 digs and contributed to the attack with a career-high five kills on .364 hitting.

Sciorra registered seven digs -- just one off her career high -- and many were during long rallies that resulted in Penn State points. Kendall White led the team with 14 digs, while Jenna Hampton added eight.

The team effort by Penn State overcame a big night from Wisconsin's Dana Rettke. The two-time first team All-American finished with 13 blocks and 15 kills. The Badgers hit .640 in the first set and .395 in the second, but were held to .033 hitting over the final three sets. They hit .000 in both the third and fourth sets.

The Penn State-Minnesota matchup at Rec Hall is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday and will air live on the Big Ten Network. The Gophers also have a chance at a share of the Big Ten title. They need a win over Penn State and a Wisconsin loss at Rutgers.

The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.