Russ Rose’s ninth-ranked Nittany Lions (17-3, 9-0 Big Ten) welcomed No. 19 Ohio State to Rec Hall Wednesday night for their annual “Dig Pink” match in support of breast cancer awareness.

Penn State finished off its fourth-straight sweep in a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17) victory over the Buckeyes to remain undefeated in conference play.

How It Happened

Penn State went back and forth with head coach Geoff Carlston’s Buckeyes for the better part of the opening set. The Nittany Lions would start to pull away following an Ohio State timeout at 15-14. Junior outside hitter Simone Lee led an offensive attack that was swinging with extreme efficiency. Lee paced the blue and white with seven kills in a 25-21 first-set victory.

It was off to the races in the second set, as Penn State got up early on the Buckeyes and didn’t look back. Though senior Taylor Sandbothe put together a tremendous outing for Ohio State, finishing with a match-high 15 kills, the Nittany Lions rolled to a 25-20 win and a 2-0 advantage. Sophomore setter Taylor Hughes was impressive in her own right, putting up 27 assists and seven kills.

Middle blocker Haleigh Washington connected on six of her nine swings through the first two sets, while Tori Gorrell posted a match-high six blocks. They would post 10 and five kills, respectively, on the night. Penn State would put its foot down in the third set, rolling to an easy 25-17 win to cement the sweep. The Nittany Lions outblocked the Buckeyes 11-3 to maintain their prowess above the net.

Given the fact that Wednesday’s match was broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, coaches had the opportunity of challenging up to three points via video replay for the first time. Carlston and Ohio State went 1-1, while Rose saw his lone request denied. He mentioned after the match that he thought some kinks still needed to be worked out so as to not create an additional timeout of sorts.

Setter Abby Detering was fantastic against the Buckeyes. The junior led the match with 34 assists while also adding team-high marks with eight digs and three service aces, as well as three kills. She would find Ali Frantti and Heidi Thelen for a combined 11 kills to round out the scoring for the Nittany Lions. Libero Kendall White and Keeton Holcomb were solid on the defensive end with eight and six digs, respectively.

Player Of The Match

Abby Detering | Junior | Setter

The Mentor, Ohio, native did a little bit of everything Wednesday night. She’s a huge reason why the Nittany Lions have been so dominant in their first nine Big Ten matches.

What’s Next?

Penn State will hit the road for a 7:00 p.m. tilt with No. 22 Michigan this Saturday. The Nittany Lions swept the Wolverines earlier this season on Oct. 1 in Rec Hall.