No. 3 Penn State women’s volleyball (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) swept Michigan State (7-9, 0-5 Big Ten) in the Breslin Student Events Center on Friday night. This was the Nittany Lions fifth straight win in Big Ten play.

The Nittany Lions took care of business against the Spartans in three sets, unlike their first matchup where it went to four sets. The match looked tight at times for Penn State, but it always found a way to respond whenever it looked like Michigan State was seizing momentum.

How It Happened

The first set started with Michigan State winning the first point on a recorded kill by Zuzanna Kulig. Penn State responded by winning three straight points to take a 3-1 lead in the set. This run was highlighted by back-to-back kills by Jess Mzurik. This run ended when Caroline Jurevicius committed an attack error to reduce Michigan State’s deficit to one. However, the Nittany Lions restored their three-point lead on the next two points due to kills by Jurevicius and Izzy Starck.

Both teams went back and forth for the next 10 points as Penn State’s lead stayed intact before Michigan State’s Taylah Holdem recorded back-to-back service aces to reduce the Spartans’ deficit to one. However, the Nittany Lions refused to let the Spartans seize their momentum and went on to win two straight points to regain their three-point lead once again. After this, Penn State got very sloppy in its attack and went on to commit three straight errors, which allowed Michigan State to tie the set at 12.

The Nittany Lions demonstrated their resilience right away and went on a 3-0 run to break the deadlock. This run was highlighted by a service ace by Gillian Grimes. This led to the first media timeout of the match. Out of the timeout, Penn State increased its run to four due to a bad set by Michigan State’s Julia Bishop. This run ended when the Spartans recorded back-to-back kills to decrease their deficit to two.

After both teams exchanged points, Mzurik responded for the Nittany Lions by recording a kill and an ace to give themselves a 19-15 lead. This response forced the Spartans to take a timeout in hopes of ending Penn State’s momentum. Out of the timeout, Michigan State’s Evie Doezema recorded a huge kill for the Spartans to trim their deficit to three. However, the Nittany Lions put their foot on the gas and won the next two points. This forced the Spartans to take yet another timeout.

After the timeout, Penn State kept seizing momentum and extended its run to three on a recorded kill by Starck. The run extended to five on the next two points as Mzurik recorded a kill and Michigan State’s Taylor Preston recorded an attack error to give the Nittany Lions a 24-16 lead and their first set point opportunity. Penn State took advantage of its first set opportunity with a kill by Camryn Hannah to take the set at 25-16.

The second set got underway, and the Nittany Lions’ momentum was still on display. This was evident as they won the first four points of the set to extend their points streak to ten dating back to the first set. This 4-0 run was highlighted by kills by Jurevicius and Mzurik. However, the Spartans started to show signs of life and responded with a 3-0 run to reduce their deficit to one. After both teams exchanged points, Michigan State tied the set at five due to an attack error by Maggie Mendelson.

Both teams traded blows for the next six points as the deadlock stayed intact. However, the Spartans took their first lead of the set at 9-8 due to an attack error by Hannah. Michigan State extended its lead to two right after on an ace by Nalanu Iosia. Both teams went back and forth for the next 10 points as Michigan State’s lead stayed intact. This led to the first media timeout of the set with Penn State hoping to regain the lead.

Out of the timeout, the Nittany Lions used it to their advantage and recorded back-to-back kills to tie the set at 15. However, this momentum was short-lived as the Spartans went on a 3-0 run to retake the lead. Penn State’s resilience was on display right after this run and went on a 3-0 run to tie the set once again at 18, which forced Michigan State to take a timeout.

Both teams exchanged points out of the timeout before a kill by Mzurik gave the Nittany Lions a 20-19 lead. After an attack error by Mzurik tied the set again, Penn State refused to let Michigan State regain the lead and responded by winning back-to-back points to take a two-point lead. This forced the Spartans to take another timeout in hopes of regaining their footing in the set.

Penn State extended its run to three after the timeout on a kill by Mzurik to get within two points of winning the second set. After Mendelson committed an attack error, Mzurik came huge for the Nittany Lions and recorded another kill to give themselves their first set point opportunity. Unlike the first set, Penn State didn’t capitalize on its first set point opportunity as Michigan State’s Aliyah Moore recorded a kill to get the Spartans within two points of tying the set. However, the Nittany Lions refused to give Michigan State any sort of momentum and won the second set at 25-22 due to a kill by Hannah.

The third set started with Michigan State winning the first point before a kill by Jurevicius tied the set at one. Both teams traded blows for the next four points before a kill by Hannah gave Penn State its first lead. The Nittany Lions extended their lead to two right away on a recorded kill by Mzurik.

Both teams went back and forth for the next six points as Penn State’s lead stayed intact. The Nittany Lions won back-to-back points due to a kill by Hannah and an attack error by Michigan State’s Akasha Anderson to take a 10-6 lead in the set. This forced the Spartans to take their first timeout of the set. After the timeout, both teams exchanged the next four points before an ace by Ava Falduto increased Penn State’s lead to five.

Both teams traded points before another kill by Mzurik extended the Nittany Lions’ lead to six and forced the Spartans to take yet another timeout. After the timeout, both teams went back and forth for the next four points before an attack error by Anderson gave Penn State an 18-11 lead. However, Michigan State refused to throw in the towel and responded with a 3-0 run to trim the deficit to four. The Spartans’ momentum was short-lived as the Nittany Lions won the next two points on a kill by Jurevicius and an ace by Hannah.

Both teams exchanged points before an ace by Grimes extended Penn State’s lead to seven and got them within three points of completing the sweep. After both teams exchanged errors, the Nittany Lions got their first match point opportunity due to a service ace by Falduto. Penn State took advantage of its opportunity with an attack error by Kulig as it finished off the set at 25-16.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions’ elite attack was on display in this match as they recorded 44 kills compared to Michigan State’s 26 kills.
• The duo of Jess Mzurik and Camryn Hannah keep being the catalysts for this Penn State team. They combined 26 kills of the team’s 44 kills and came up clutch for the team whenever they needed it.
• Michigan State’s inability to hit the ball efficiently was evident in this matchup. The team had a hitting percentage of .135 compared to Penn State’s .289.

What’s Next?

Penn State will continue its road trip when it takes on Indiana at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, as it attempts to extend its winning streak in Big Ten play.