No. 2 Penn State Women’s Volleyball Downs Yale in Straight Sets

No. 2 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Yale (25-9, 25-21, 25-11) in the Nittany Lions’ home opener Friday night at Rec Hall.

Penn State (8-0) is now 10-0 all-time against the Bulldogs (4-3), who are coached by one of Russ Rose’s former assistants, Erin Appleman. She was a member of his staff from 1993-2001.

How It Happened

After losing the first point of the match, the Nittany Lions went on an 8-1 run, forcing Yale to take a timeout. The stoppage in play didn’t swing the momentum much for the Bulldogs as the Nittany Lions won the first set convincingly, 25-9, capped off by a mean Abby Detering kill.

In the second set, Yale started to put up some points against Penn State’s strong front line. Starting off up 4-2, the Bulldogs kept the Nittany Lions at bay for a portion of the set. Penn State appeared to tie the set up at 11, but a successful coach’s challenge ruled that the ball was tipped by a Nittany Lion.

After the challenge, Penn State regained control of the match, going on a 7-1 run to take a 17-13 lead. A Bulldog timeout ended the Nittany Lion run, but Yale couldn’t close the gap in the second frame. Penn State went on to win the set 25-21.

Penn State smelled blood in the water in the final set of this match. The Nittany Lions went on a 10-3 run to start the last frame. Rose’s team didn’t look back, dominating the last set 25-11, securing the Nittany Lions’s eighth straight win to start the season.

Player Of The Match

Haleigh Washington | Senior | Middle blocker

The senior from Colorado Springs turned in an all-around effort Friday night, recording eight kills, a team-high seven blocks, and six digs.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions stay home for day two of the Penn State Classic on Saturday. It will be a double-header for Rose’s squad as Penn State takes on Wake Forest at 10 a.m. followed by Ohio at 4 p.m. The Wake Forest matchup can be seen on BTN2Go.