IU falls to top-ranked Penn State

Despite hanging around for most of the match, the IU volleyball team was eventually out-clawed by the Nittany Lions in straight sets Wednesday night.

Penn State continued their undefeated season, improving to 15-0 on the year. They still have not lost a single set.

It was also Penn State’s 41st win in a row, dating back to last year when they won the national championship.

IU, meanwhile, fell to 8-7 on the year and 0-3 in the Big Ten, losing their fourth match in a row overall.

The Hoosiers did manage to hang tough all night and lead in various parts of the match, including most of the third set when they jumped out to a 7-3 lead and led as late as 18-16.

Junior outside hitter Kelsey Hall said she thought the Hoosiers did the best they could, given the nature of their competition.

“We hung with them, and they are the No. 1 team in the country,” Hall said. “To play with them in the third set was really exciting, as you don’t expect to do that when you’re playing the defending national champions.”

There could be some positive to loss, as well. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wittmer hopes to use the success and confidence gained from the third set in future matches after a slight lack of passion in the opening two games.

“I felt like in the first two sets, we played with them, but didn’t have the intensity we could have had,” Wittmer said. “In the third set, we came out on fire and were intense and it did a lot for our confidence.”

Statistically, IU was dominated in almost every category and lost 67-39 in total points.
One area The Hoosiers did manage to beat Penn State was in team blocks, as they won that battle 8-7.

Wittmer put a lot of emphasis on the fact that the Hoosiers won that category.

“We were really proud of our blocking, as they are the best blocking team in the country, so this is an amazing accomplishment for us,” she said.

Competition will get slightly easier Friday when the Hoosiers return to action against Michigan State to close out a four-game home stand at the University Gym. 

While the Spartans will be the first unranked team the Hoosiers have faced in four Big Ten matches, they still bring to Bloomington a 10-3 record and own a 10-match winning streak overall.