Nittany Digs: Wolverine State Sweep

Freshman Deja McClendon 
had 14 kills against MSU.

Penn State got back on the winning track this week, with a nice sweep of Michigan State and Michigan.

Wolverine State Sweep

Michigan State at No. 4 PSU - W, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-17)

Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills including senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) and freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) who tallied 14 apiece. Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) rounded out the trio with 10. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville. Va.) dished out 36 assists and had two blocks, including one solo. Senior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) led the team in digs with seven, while Brown and senior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) led the Nittany Lions with five blocks each.

Penn State closed out the night with a .293 attack percentage and held Michigan State to just .095. The Lions totaled 47 kills, four aces, 28 digs and 12.5 total team blocks and held the Spartans to 30 kills, one ace, 31 digs and 11.0 team blocks.

No. 19 Michigan at No. 4 PSU - W, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-20)

In front of 3,801 Nittany Lion faithful, the Nittany Lions (13-3, 3-1) extended their home winning streak to 82 consecutive matches. The victory against Michigan was the 200th win at Rec Hall in the past 10 years.

Freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led the Nittany Lions with 14 kills on .407 hitting. She also was second on the team with 10 digs. Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) was second on the team with 13 kills, while posting four blocks. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) paced the offense with 30 assists, while senior Cathy Quilico (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) led the team with 12 digs. Junior Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.) had a match-high seven blocks and senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) finished the night with six.

The Nittany Lions registered a .317 attack percentage, while the Wolverines (14-2, 3-1) attacked at a .216 clip. Penn State totaled 42 kills, six aces, 39 digs and 12.0 total team blocks. Michigan closed out the match with 41 kills, three aces, 47 digs and just 2.5 team blocks.

In the Polls

Penn State held steady another week at No. 4 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lion did gain 28 points from last week, but so did No. 3 Nebraska, so there wasn't any net movement.

What's Next?
Penn State is back in action on Friday, Oct. 8 at Purdue at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions take on Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 9. The match is also at 7 p.m.

For extended stats, check out GoPSUsports.com

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