University of Illinois
21-5, 13-3
#8 Penn State
23-4, 13-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 18 | 16 | 18 | 0 |
| Penn State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
#9 Illini Fall at #8 Penn State, 3-0
November 13, 2010 | Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2010
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 9 Illinois has company atop the Big Ten standings after falling to No. 8 Penn State 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-18) on Saturday night at Rec Hall. The Illini (21-5) and Nittany Lions (23-4) are tied for first place in the conference at 13-3 with four games remaining in the regular season.
"We didn't fight as hard as we needed to," head coach Kevin Hambly said. "We played scared and tentative and didn't execute. They came out and attacked us, which we knew they would, but we just didn't attack back. When you don't attack back, you're going to get beat up and that's what happened tonight."
Illinois' offense never found a rhythm, as the squad hit below .150 in every set and recorded a season-low 33 kills. No Illini reached double figures for the first time all season. Freshman Jazmine Orozco led the team with eight kills while a tough Nittany Lion defense limited juniors Michelle Bartsch and Colleen Ward to seven and six kills, respectively. The Illini middles tried to take advantage of Penn State keying on the outside attack, as senior Johannah Bangert (six kills) and sophomore Erin Johnson (five kills) each hit .300 or better.
The Illini held an 11-9 lead in the first set, but an 11-1 run by Penn State put the frame out of reach. Illinois fell behind early in set two and never recovered, as the Nittany Lions led the entire stanza. Set three slightly mirrored the opening set, with Illinois taking an early 3-2 advantage before Penn State broke it open with an 11-2 run to gain control of the frame on its way to winning the match.
The Penn State attack hit over .350 in sets one and three while posting a hitting percentage of .324 for the match. The Nittany Lions had half as many errors as the Illini and used a strong defensive front to out-block Illinois 8.5 to 4.0.
With the victory tonight, Penn State extended its home-match winning streak to 88, the longest active streak in the nation. The two squads split the season series, as Illinois knocked off PSU in a thrilling five-set victory to open Big Ten play back in September. Penn State closes out the season with a pair of home matches against Ohio State and Northwestern before hitting the road to square off against Iowa and Minnesota.
Up Next: Illinois returns home for its final two home matches at Huff Hall. The Illini take on Iowa on Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. before celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 20 with a 4:30 p.m. match against Minnesota. The Orange and Blue wrap up the season the following weekend on the road at Indiana and Purdue.
