UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Kashauna Williams hit .368 with 20 kills to lift No. 14 Penn State to a second-straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent as the Lions took down No. 9 Minnesota 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 27-25) in Big Ten women’s volleyball action Friday at Rec Hall.
Penn State bolstered its resume as it looks to earn a top-16 seed and hosting rights for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, improving to 22-6 overall and 11-6 in the Big Ten with its fifth-consecutive victory. The Lions are 4-4 against teams in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, with wins over No. 8 Stanford, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 12 Oregon, and No. 19 Purdue.
Minnesota had its four-match winning streak snapped as it fell to 17-8 overall and 12-5 in the Big Ten. The Gophers are in fourth place in the conference standings but are now just one match ahead of the fifth-place Lions.
Williams’ big night helped her reach a big career milestone as her fifth kill of the night was the 1,500th of her career. She now goes into the next match against No. 3 Wisconsin on Saturday with 1,515 career kills.
Penn State won a wild fourth set to clinch the victory. The Lions went up 21-17 on a kill by Katie Clark, but Minnesota battled back to tie it at 22-22. The Lions took a 24-23 lead on a block by Allie Holland and Alexa Markley and went up again 25-24 on a kill by Zoe Weatherington. Both chances at match point were denied by the Gophers.
A chaotic sequence ensued…
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