UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Zoe Weatherington provided the spark for Penn State’s outstanding offensive night as the Nittany Lions hit .314 in a 3-1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21) win over UCF in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions, who entered as the fourth-seeded team in their region and the 11th-ranked team in the country, improved to 26-7 overall. They advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinal, where they will travel to Madison to take on Wisconsin on Thursday.
The path to victory wasn’t easy for Penn State, which found itself trailing midway through the third and fourth sets. The Lions were down 14-10 in the third set and still trailed late at 22-21 before going on a 4-0 run. Weatherington and Katie Clark fueled the run. The two combined on a block to give the Lions a 23-22 lead. Weatherington followed with a kill, which set the stage for a solo block by Clark that gave her team a 2-1 lead in the match and had the Rec Hall crowd on its feet.
Penn State was behind 13-9 in the fourth set and didn’t fight back to take the lead until Clark’s kill put the Lions up 18-17. The score remained close before Allie Holland put the Lions up 24-21 with a kill. Gillian Grimes then sent the Lions to the next round, securing the victory with an ace.
The clutch ace by Grimes was the sixth of the night for Penn State. Maddy Bilinovic led the way with three, while Cassie Kuerschen and Holland added one apiece.
Weatherington hit .500 with 13 kills, capping a great opening weekend of the tournament. Through two…
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