No. 21 Penn State women’s volleyball (5-0) defeated Troy (2-3) in straight sets Friday evening in its second contest in a five-hour span. After grabbing a victory over Iowa State this afternoon, the Nittany Lions cruised to another triumph highlighted by a 20-point scoring differential.

Zoe Weatherington led the way with 11 kills for Penn State, while defensive specialist Gillian Grimes helped the Nittany Lions get off to a hot start with three consecutive aces.

How It Happened

Junior Taylor Trammell put the Nittany Lions on the board first with an instant kill, but the scoring spree continued to flourish for Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s crew. From there, Gillian Grimes produced three straight aces, forcing an early Troy timeout.

After securing a commanding 5-0 lead, the Nittany Lions gave up a pair of points. However, after losing momentum, Penn State embarked on a 5-2 scoring run spearheaded by Katie Clark.

Four crucial errors toward the midway point of the first set derailed Troy’s chances at mounting a comeback, as the Trojans continued to struggle against the Nittany Lions’ veteran-laden lineup. After holding as large as a nine-point lead, Penn State surrendered a few late-set points thanks to solid net play by Troy, but Schumacher-Cawley’s bunch ultimately nabbed a convincing 25-18 triumph in game one.

Penn State took an early 2-0 lead to begin set two but found itself in the midst of a battle thanks to a pair of untimely errors. The two squads traded points for the majority of the matchup’s beginning, leading to a 12-10 mark in favor of the Nittany Lions.

From there, Trammell began a four-point unanswered scoring streak for Penn State, helping her group establish breathing room toward the contest’s midway point. Troy’s Caroline Darracott nabbed a pair of kills late, bringing the deficit to just two, but the Nittany Lions pulled away late, leading to a 25-21 game two win.

The final bout of the match proved to be all Nittany Lions, as Grimes forced three attack errors off of well-placed serves. Penn State jumped out to a 9-3 lead, which forced Troy to call a much-needed timeout to regroup in hopes of keeping the match alive.

But, the Nittany Lions continued to pour it on, courtesy of Trammell’s stout play around the net. The Kentucky native seemed to take the “right place, right time” mantra to a new level and continued to pour on kills at Troy’s expense.

Trammell helped Penn State capture an eight-point advantage late in the matchup, but the scoring didn’t stop there. The Nittany Lions ripped off five of the game’s last seven points, helping the No. 21-ranked squad capture a 25-16 win, leading to a convincing straight-set sweep.

Takeaways

• Gillian Grimes is a serving weapon, folks. The freshman set the tone early by nabbing three straight aces, helping the Nittany Lions establish a 5-0 lead in the early going of set one. From there, Penn State never looked back and clearly proved to possess the more talented squad from the get-go.
• While Zoe Weatherington led the Nittany Lions in kills with 11, Taylor Trammell seemed to be all over the net throughout the three-game outing. The seasoned junior boasted an absurd .538 hitting percentage, good for the highest among both squads.
• Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s crew has formed into a well-oiled machine throughout non-conference play. Her veteran crew has yet to be pushed to five sets, but the competition should ramp up when the Nittany Lions are tasked with No. 12 Stanford next Friday.

What’s Next?

Penn State is set to take on LSU at 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 3, in its third leg of the Tiger Classic. The match will air live from Baton Rouge on SEC Network+.