EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 13 Penn State Women’s Volleyball lost to an unranked team for the first time all season Saturday, falling 3-2 (25-20, 11-25, 16-25, 25-18, 18-16) to Michigan State in a Big Ten match at the Breslin Center.
The Nittany Lions remained in third place in the Big Ten standings with a record of 15-6 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Spartans improved to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten with their first win in the series since 2013.
Penn State nearly pulled off a big comeback in the fifth set, erasing a 12-7 deficit and even getting two chances at match point before Michigan State pulled off the upset with an 18-16 victory.
The Nittany Lions were strong defensively at the net with 19 blocks while holding the Spartans to .156 hitting, but the offense struggled with a .135 hitting percentage. Taylor Trammell was in on eight blocks, while Allie Holland had seven in addition to her seven kills.
Jess Mruzik led Penn State with 19 kills, while Camryn Hannah was next with eight. Mac Podraza recorded a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs. Gillian Grimes had 13 digs to join Podraza in double-figures.
Maddy Bilinovic fueled Penn State’s successful night at the service line with four of the team’s 10 aces. Anjelina Starck had three aces.
Taylah Holdem was the top player statistically for Michigan State with a double-double of 14 kills and 10 digs.
Set 1
Michigan State closed the opening set on a 5-1 run on its way to the 25-19 win. Evie Doezema hit .667 with four kills and chipped in with a pair of digs.
Set 2
Penn…
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