Penn State women’s volleyball Maryland Recap/Rutgers preview
No. 13 Penn State defeated the Maryland Terrapins 3-1 in four sets Oct. 21 in College Park, Maryland.
The Nittany Lions improved to 16-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten by defeating a conference foe.
Maryland is now 12-9 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions served up a great ace game. Allie Holland had four, Gillian Grimes had three and Selesia Elisaia and Anjelina Starck together totaled four.
Penn State stayed on the offensive throughout the matches in the kill game.
Kashauna Williams and Holland led the team with thirteen apiece and Zoe Weatherington added on with eleven.
When junior Taylor Trammell exited the match with an injury, graduate student Katie Clark entered and had nine kills and four blocks.
Elisaia set a new career record for assists with 55 in this game. She had previously set her record at 49 this year when the Nittany Lions took on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Tiger Challenge on September 2.
Penn State outscored Maryland in every category except for blocks, where Penn State held seven and Maryland stopped fifteen.
Penn State is now 31-5-1 all-time against the Terrapins.
These two teams will play again in Rec Hall Nov. 2.
The Weekend Ahead
The Nittany Lions will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Rec Hall on October 23.
Rutgers is 7-14 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten, winning its one conference game against Michigan State.
Its most recent loss came at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats in four sets at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Head coach Caitlin Schweihofer entered her third season with the Scarlet Knights this year. In her first two years in the program, the Scarlet Knights posted a collective 14-35 record.
Rutgers is a young team led by redshirt junior Lauren Delo, junior Madyson Chitty and junior Kristina Grkovic as stat leaders.
Delo, the setter, has posted 521 assists and averages 7.5 assists per set. She is ninth in the Big Ten in assists (Penn State’s Elisaia is fifth).
Chitty, the libero, leads with 208 digs and an average of 2.8 digs per set.
Additionally, Grkovic, the middle blocker, leads with 59 blocks per set, followed by graduate student Megan Vernon, who has posted 57.
Freshman outside hitter Taylor Humphrey adds on to the talent. Humphrey is second in kills (170), second in total attacks (592) and third in digs (131).
Penn State is undefeated against Rutgers (19-0) since their first match in 2000.
Adrianna Gallucci is a first-year student majoring in journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.
