Wisconsin falls to Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Wisconsin volleyball team suffered a hard fought loss as the team fell 25-23, 27-29, 23-25, 18-25, on Saturday night at Penn State. 

After a back and forth first set battle, Wisconsin (23-2, 14-2) went on a 3-0 run to finish the set, winning 25-22. The Badgers created a bit of distance for themselves, as they led 19-15 after a 7-2 run, but Penn State (17-8, 11-5) responded with a 4-0 run of their own, and tied it up at 19 apiece. UW closed it out from there. 

Despite a late rally in the second, as the Badgers came back from down 18-24 to tie it up at 24 apiece, Penn State put two points together to win the set 29-27 and even the match up at 1-1. 

After another set filled with ties and lead changes, Penn State came out on top, 25-23 and took a 2-1 advantage. 

As Wisconsin hit only .206 compared to Penn State’s .405 in the final frame, the Nitanny Lions picked up momentum early and carried it to the end. Penn State took the final set, and match, 25-18. 

Sarah Franklin led the Badgers with 19 kills. Julia Orzol also finished in double figures with 11 kills. UW hit .176 (50 kills – 23 errors – 153 attempts) on the night. 

Penn State hit .238 (63 – 25 – 160) as Camryn Hannah led the Nittany Lions with 19 kills. 

Izzy Ashburn finished with 26 assists and MJ Hammill added 11 helpers. Franklin and Ashburn each added 12 digs, as they both posted a double-double. Gulce Guctekin led the team with 16 digs. 

Wisconsin edged Penn State in blocks, 11-9. Carter Booth led…