No. 3 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Northwestern 26-24, 25-14, 25-14 Saturday night thanks to an impressive .494 hitting night.

The Nittany Lions also outblocked the Wildcats 9-4 at Rec Hall, as Haleigh Washington led the way with five in the victory.

How It Happened

Northwestern took a 23-21 lead over the Nittany Lions late in the first set, but three straight kills from Simone Lee helped them rally for the win. Sophomore libero Kendall White, who would post a match-high 13 digs, finished things off with a kill of her own.

The Wildcats came within two points of Penn State in the second set, 10-8, but Ali Frantti soon dialed up three kills in a row to help Russ Rose’s squad stretch its advantage to an insurmountable margin.

The Nittany Lions took the second and third sets in identical fashion, 25-14, to put away Northwestern. Setters Abby Detering and Bryanna Weiskircher tallied 21 and 17 assists, respectively. Tori Gorrell and Heidi Thelen chipped in seven and three kills to round out the scoring.

Player Of The Match

Simone Lee | Senior | Outside hitter

Lee tied Northwestern’s Symone Abbott with a match-high 12 kills, while adding four digs, a block, a service ace, and an assist.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (13-1, 3-1 Big Ten) head to Columbus Friday for a 7 p.m. match against Ohio State.