WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 4 Penn State Women’s Volleyball opened Big Ten play with a statement win Wednesday night, going on the road to sweep No. 10 Purdue 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-20) at Holloway Gymnasium.
The Nittany Lions improved to 11-1 overall, while the Boilermakers dropped to 9-3. All three of their losses came to opponents ranked in the top 10 at the time of the match.
Penn State was dominant from start to finish on its way to the first sweep in the series by either team since 2016. The Nittany Lions hit .369 behind 38 assists from freshman setter Izzy Starck. The team’s outside hitters did a large chunk of the damage with Camryn Hannah hitting .393 with 14 kills and Jess Mruzik hitting .267 with 13 kills. Taylor Trammell, Caroline Jurevicius, and Maggie Mendelson chipped in with six kills apiece.
Penn State held Purdue to .176 hitting. It was the fourth time this season the Nittany Lions held a nationally-ranked opponent under the .200 mark. Izzy Starck led the team with 13 digs to record her fourth double-double of the season. Mruzik had nine digs, while Gillian Grimes and Ava Falduto tallied eight apiece. Mruzik spearheaded the defensive effort at the net with three solo blocks.
The Nittany Lions trailed just one time in the entire match when Purdue went up 1-0 in the second set. An ace by Grimes helped Penn State go on a 3-0 run and it never relinquished the lead.
Penn State returns to action when it hosts Michigan State for a Big Ten match Sunday. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Rec Hall.
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