Penn State women’s volleyball (6-0) finished off the Tiger Challenge with a win against LSU (3-3) in three sets (25-20, 26-24, 27-25) Saturday.

In Penn State’s first trip to Baton Rouge since 2006, the Nittany Lions were able to take down the Tigers without dropping a set.

Huge offensive perfomraces from Anjelina Starck and Kashauna Williams brought the power, while the extensive depth from the defense was able to slow down LSU.

How It Happened

In another quick start for Penn State, the Nittany Lions went up 9-6 with some stellar swings from the back of the court. LSU then took a timeout, but its explosive offense from seniors Sanaa Dotson and Samarah Hill continued to find gaps in Penn State’s defense, tying the game 13-13.

The game continued to stay tight, but outstanding digs and the ability to keep the ball in play set Penn State apart. The Nittany Lions were the first to reach 20, leading 21-18. LSU attempted to come back in the first set, but Penn State won it 25-20.

After being the first team this season to take the first set from the Tigers, Penn State was off to a shaky start, tying the set early at 4-4. The Nittany Lions came alive again in their offense and went up 12-9 at the halfway point, but LSU came firing back to tie the score 13-13. The two teams continued to battle and were tied once again through 24.

In the final points of the second set, Penn State was able to pull away 25-24, then a block on LSU’s Hill secured the 26-24 set win.

Starting off the third set, LSU had its biggest lead of the match at 6-2. But, Penn State was able to fight back and eventually take the 13-12 lead. The Nittany Lions kept grinding and were able to get up 19-18. A series of back and forth points brought the score to 22-22, but LSU took the lead again 23-22.

In a smiliar situation as the second set, the score once again got knotted at 24, before Penn State got up 26-25. The Nittany Lions were finally able to get the 27-25 set win with a kill from Zoe Weatherington.

Penn State then finished the match in three sets.

Player Of The Game

Anjelina Starck | Senior Outside Hitter

Along with having the most kills in the game at 13 with .137 hitting percentage, she also had one of Penn State’s five aces. In a game that showed some serious grit for the Nittany Lions, Starck was able to shine from left side of the court.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will face off against Stanford in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 9.