After Friday night’s remarkable defeat of No. 14 Ohio State, the Wisconsin volleyball team (4-2 Big Ten, 15-3 overall) lost to No. 4 Penn State (5-1, 14-2) Saturday night on the road.
The Nittany Lions swept the Badgers 22-25, 17-25, and 21-25. The loss drops UW to fourth place in the Big Ten, tied with Minnesota.
The Badgers kept it close in the first set, with the score tying up 12 times while posting 5 lead changes. Penn State took the lead at 20-16 but a huge kill by junior outside hitter Courtney Thomas put the Badgers within reach at 23-22. However, Wisconsin was unable to offset the Nittany Lion’s .276 attack percentage and they pulled away with the final two points.
After an impressive 13-7 lead in the second set, the Nittany Lions tied up the score at 15-15 and proceeded to go on a nine point run to win the set.
Wisconsin started off the third set down 4-1, but three kills by junior outside hitter Ellen Chapman helped the team pull ahead to 15-9.
Once again, Penn State was able to tie up the score, and with the help of four blocks the Nittany Lions secured the victory.
The Badgers recorded 41 kills to the Nittany Lions’ 37, but their overall hitting percentage finished at .150 compared to PSU’s .226. Leading the Badgers in kills were Thomas with 11 and Chapman with 10.
On the defensive end, Wisconsin racked up 49 digs, while Penn State managed 43. Thomas’s 14 digs and 11 kills gave the junior her ninth double-double of the season. However, PSU out-blocked Wisconsin 12-9. The Badgers’ blocking was led by junior Dominique Thompson and freshman Lauren Carlini, who each recorded six.
The Badgers return to the UW Field House Friday, taking on another ranked Big Ten opponent in No. 17 Michigan State at 7 p.m.
