Fall Sports Update: Volleyball Keeps Rolling
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on October 21, 2024
Women’s Volleyball (16-1)
The women’s volleyball team ran its win streak up to eight with a 3-0 sweep of Michigan State and a 3-1 win at Indiana. Penn State held its No. 3 ranking in the AVCA poll this week.
Jess Mruzik led the team in kills in both matches with 14 against Michigan State and 21 against Indiana. Izzy Starck continued her sensational freshman season with a stunning 53 assists against Indiana, leading to her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award.
Penn State will continue conference play with a road game against Ohio State on Friday (8pm on BTN) followed by a home game against Minnesota on Sunday (2pm on Big Ten Plus) in the annual Dig Pink game.
Women’s Hockey (4-2)
The women’s hockey team swept Union with 4-2 and 5-3 victories last weekend. Penn State held at No. 12 in this week’s USCHO poll.
Tessa Janecke broke a 2-2 tie in the second period of Game 1 and sealed Penn State’s win with an empty-net goal in the closing minutes. In Game 2, the Nittany Lions pounced on Union early and never looked back, with Lyndie Lobdell, Nicole Hall, and Maddy Christian all scoring to give Penn State a 3-0 lead in the first period. Alyssa Machado added a pair of insurance goals after Union cut the deficit to 3-2, and the Lions held off the Chargers’ late surge for a 5-3 win.
Penn State returns home for a pair of games against Dartmouth on Friday (6pm on Big Ten Plus) and Saturday (2pm on Big Ten Plus).
Women’s Soccer (11-3-2)
The women’s soccer team defeated Maryland 5-0 and Minnesota 3-2 last week. Penn State now ranks No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches’ Poll.
Five different Nittany Lions- Kaitlyn MacBean, Molly Martin, Elle Kershner, Aubrey Kulpa, and Rebecca Cooke– scored a goal in the decisive 5-0 win over Maryland. Against Minnesota, Olivia Damico headed in the game-winning goal off a beautiful feed from Jordan Fusco, breaking the tie with just eight minutes left in the contest.
Penn State will head to the Golden State this weekend for games against UCLA tonight (10:30pm on BTN) and USC on Sunday (3pm on Big Ten Plus).
Field Hockey (7-6)
It was an up-and-down trip to the Buckeye State for the field hockey team. Penn State was shut out 4-0 by Ohio State before scoring a 5-0 shutout win over Ohio. The Nittany Lions rose to No. 16 in the NFCHA Poll.
Phia Gladieux became Penn State’s all-time leading point scorer (200) with two goals and two assists in the win over the Bobcats. The Nittany Lions only allowed one shot in a dominant win over Ohio.
Penn State returns home for a pair of home games against Michigan on Friday (4pm) and Michigan State on Sunday (Noon).
Men’s Soccer (5-6-2)
In its only game of the week, the men’s soccer team fell 2-0 to Indiana last Friday.
Penn State’s offense was completely shut down by the Hoosiers, as the Nittany Lions were unable to record a single shot on goal in the contest. Andrew Cooke made three saves to keep Penn State in the game into the second half, but Indiana’s defense was too much to overcome.
Penn State will take on Washington on the road tomorrow (10pm on Big Ten Plus).
