No. 20 Penn State women’s volleyball (3-0) defeated West Virginia in four sets Saturday evening, winning its third consecutive match to open the season and second of the day (25-14, 25-10, 20-25, 25-19).

Sophomore Anjelina Starck registered a career-high 15 kills en route to the Nittany Lions’ victory in Rec Hall.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions started off hot, as Anjelina Starck helped give Penn State a 7-3 with three kills early in the match. West Virginia burned a timeout early in the match when Penn State went up 9-3, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Nittany Lions, as Seleisa Elisaia’s ace put them up 14-5. Penn State won the first set in dominating fashion, with a score of 25-14.

Penn State started off the second set hot. Kashauna Williams helped the Nittany Lions hit the ground running with an early kill, and Maddy Bilinovic got the team to a 17-6 lead in the second set as she was up to 11 digs for the match. Zoe Weatherington wrapped up the second frame with a set-winning kill for the Nittany Lions, giving Penn State its second set 25-10.

The third set wasn’t as smooth for the Nittany Lions. West Virginia came out of the gate much more competitive than in the first two sets. The match was tied at 8-8 at one point in the set, but the Mountaineers went on a lengthy run to take a 20-13 lead in the third set. Penn State made a quick run to almost even the score, but West Virginia took the set 25-20.

After dropping the third set, Penn State got back on its feet to begin the fourth, taking an early 5-1 and forcing West Virginia to burn an early timeout. The Mountaineers didn’t back down, though, and kept it close for the entire set. After trading back-and-forth points for the entire set, Penn State eventually took the frame 25-19 to defeat West Virginia in four sets.

Takeaways

• This team is good, folks. After legendary coach Russ Rose retired in the offseason, Penn State is off to a great start under Katie Schumacher-Cawley, winning its third consecutive match to open the season. If this trend keeps up, the Nittany Lions will be dangerous.
• Penn State’s ability to control the match and tame West Virginia’s momentum was very noticeable. It seemed that every time the Mountaineers got even a lick of energy, the Nittany Lions took it away and maintained the pace perfectly, which is a signature characteristic of a winning team.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will be back in action when they take on Iowa State in the Tiger Challenge taking place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at 1 p.m. on Friday, September 2.