No. 11 Penn State women’s volleyball (17-6, 6-6 Big Ten) fell to No. 6 Ohio State (15-5, 11-1 Big Ten) in five sets (25-19, 27-25, 28-26, 25-14, 17-15) during its annual Dig Pink match at Rec Hall.

Despite the amazing effort from the service line and 12 blocks as a team, Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s squad was the second group of Nittany Lions to fall victim to the Buckeyes on Saturday.

How It Happened

The first set began immediately with a back-and-forth battle, but the Nittany Lions were the first to emerge with a lead of 4-2. Zoe Weatherington led the charge with two massive kills before Ohio State took its first timeout when it was trailing by six points.

. @zweatherington is the third with a kill already.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/M3JO8sMmAr

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 30, 2022

The Buckeyes began to attempt a comeback, but Penn State setter Seleisa Elisaia knocked down a kill to stay on top. Kashauna Williams also came through with multiple explosive kills to keep Penn State up 18-13.

The battle continued as Ohio State roared back within two points to 20-18, provoking a Penn State timeout. A 4-0 scoring run put Penn State at set point, and it was able to finish the set off at 25-19.

Set two once again started off in favor of the Nittany Lions, but the Buckeyes quickly tied the score at 3-3. Allie Holland was unstoppable as Penn State was the first to reach 10 points on the set. However, Ohio State was able to attain its first lead of the game at 14-12 following a huge block against Weatherington.

The Nittany Lions were able to rally and come back within reach to lead 22-19. A sudden spike of energy from the Buckeyes ultimately tied it up at 25-25 and Ohio State took the set 27-25.

The third set started with a Penn State 5-0 scoring run to go up 6-2. The momentum continued to swing in the Nittany Lions’ favor and they were up 12-5, and continued to climb with huge help from Katie Clark.

Oh my, Katie Clark!

That's 6 kills on 7 swings for her#WeAre pic.twitter.com/8CpE3qZpLa

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 30, 2022

Ohio State once again regained the lead at 20-18, and was the first to a set point, but, a 3-0 scoring run brought Penn State within two at 24-22. Back-to-back service aces from freshman Gillian Grimes tied it up at 24 all, and a challenge from Ohio State was lost, which gave Penn State the lead.

The Nittany Lions persisted and took set three 28-26.

The fourth set started again with a 3-3 tie. The score stayed tight through 10 points, but Ohio State began to pull away 14-10. The lead widened as the Buckeyes stayed up 17-13, but huge swings from the Penn State front line encouraged a comeback.

Ohio State kept tacking on the points to reach a seven-point lead and ran away with the fourth set 25-14.

The fifth and final set saw a 2-2 tie, but Penn State was first to a 5-3 lead thanks to a Clark kill. A combined block from Holland and Weatherington held the lead going into a timeout.

The pressure turned up from the Buckeyes as they tied it 9-9, and remained a tied back-and-forth battle through 15-15. Ultimately, a long rally and possible net violation called for a Penn State challenge.

The Nittany Lions didn’t come away with the challenge win, and Ohio State secured the match with a 17-15 score in the fifth set.

Takeaways:

• This is the second time this season that Penn State has fallen victim to Ohio State in five sets. Still, if this shows anything, it’s that Penn State can compete. Ohio State is a tough team, and Penn State is just out of reach.
• Despite losing an injured Taylor Trammel to the roster following an injury against Maryland on October 21, the Penn State middles were on fire tonight. Between Holland and Clark, the two accounted for 26 kills on the night and 11 blocks.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will host Maryland at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, at Rec Hall. Folks can tune into the match on the Big Ten Network.