Penn State women’s volleyball took down Michigan State in four sets (25-17, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16) Sunday afternoon at Rec Hall.

Michigan State played the Nittany Lions tight in the middle two sets and almost played spoiler in front of the Rec Hall crowd. But Penn State eventually prevailed for its 13th win of the year.

How It Happened

The first set started with a bit of back-and-forth play, as the Nittany Lions had a tough time pulling away from the Spartans. It stayed that way until a kill by Alexa Markley put Penn State up 15-13. It didn’t get much better from the Spartans there, as Allie Holland and Seleisa Elisaia both registered a massive block to force Michigan State to use another timeout in an effort to stop Penn State’s run.

This block by @allieholland_ and @leisuhh forced another Spartan timeout!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/rPGlaeh02O

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 2, 2022

That didn’t do much, though, as Kashauna Williams ended the first set 25-17 for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions came out swinging in the second set as they went up 8-1 really quick on the Spartans. The lead was eventually stretched to 17-12, but Michigan State wouldn’t go down without a fight. The team clawed its way back into the set and eventually took a 22-21 lead. The Nittany Lions were only able to muster one point from there and dropped the second set 25-22.

After dropping the second set, Penn State came out swinging again in the third set. The Nittany Lions were up 10-7 on a Zoe Weatherington kill. The teams then traded back-and-forth points, but a Mandi Morioka ace gave Penn State some momentum, going up 17-16.

. @mandimorrr finds the back corner for an ACE! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/45ZAn8J5tL

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 2, 2022

The set stayed tight, with the team trading back-and-forth points again, but the Nittany Lions eventually took the frame 25-22.

Michigan State started the fourth set with some more fight, but an Allie Holland ace made the score 9-7 in the frame. The Nittany Lions then recorded another ace, this one by Seleisa Elisaia to make it 11-8. Penn State then went on a run to extend its lead in the set to 16-11 on a Markley kill.

Markley kill!

Spartans timeout.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/TKHJEHoCMn

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 2, 2022

Penn State then began to pull away, finishing the frame with a 25-16 victory to seal its 13th win of the season.

Takeaways

• Penn State did a great job by fighting its way back into the match. You’d think that Michigan State would gain a massive amount of momentum after coming back to steal the second set, but the Nittany Lions were able to tame the Spartan swing and win the next two sets.
• The Rec Hall crowd was phenomenal in today’s game. The rowdy group wouldn’t let Michigan State off easy and was behind the Nittany Lions for the entire game.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will travel to Columbus for a match with Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 7.