The Penn State women’s volleyball team dropped its second match of the year Saturday evening, a five-set marathon against Northwestern in Evanston (18-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-17, 11-15).

14 kills from Megan Courtney and Simone Lee were not enough as the Lions suffered their second loss in four matches.

How It Happened

The two squads split the first two sets. After Northwestern took the first set 25-18 thanks to a blistering 7-0 run, Penn State answered back. A tight second set throughout, Whitney and Courtney — a dynamic duo all night — tallied a pair of kills to bring the Lions ahead, 23-22. Northwestern’s next play resulted in an error, and Lee put away the set with a kill on the next point.

Much like the first two sets, Northwestern won a tight third set before Penn State responded. In the third, after being tied 17-17, a 3-1 attack by the Wildcats put them in set-winning position. After Frantti and Whitney contributed points for Penn State to tie it at 24-24, the Wildcats put it away with two consecutive kills, making the impending upset a possible reality. In the fourth set, the Lions broke free with a 6-1 run in the middle of the set. Northwestern was unable to respond, and a service error cost it the set, making the match tied at two sets a piece.

Northwestern jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the fifth set, then a 4-2 Penn State rally brought it to 12-9. But it wasn’t enough, as the 15-point fifth set ultimately went to the Wildcats, and cost the Lions the game. A final Wildcat kill secured the set (15-12) and the match.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions are back at home for two straight conference home games. They play Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. and Purdue the next day at the same time.