LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Penn State women’s volleyball team can only hope to experience a second trip to Louisville this year as enjoyable as their journey to open the season.
The No. 3 Nittany Lions swept past Louisville 25-20, 25-17, 25-18 to close out three weekend victories at the Active Ankle Challenge at the Cardinals’ Yum! Center.
The arena will host the NCAA Championships in December.
Behind 13 kills from Ariel Scott and 11 for Deja McClendon, Penn State put together a .436 hitting night with just eight errors. Katie Slay also made a big contribution in the hitting performance with eight kills on nine error-free swings to hit .889.
Maddie Martin also had eight kills, Sly posted six blocks and Scott had four stuffs, and McClendon and Dominique Gonzalez led the back row with 11 and 10 digs, respectively. Setter Micha Hancock directed the offense with 37 assists and added three aces, giving her nine for the day.
Earlier Saturday, the Nittany Lions swept past Western Kentucky 25-10, 25-22, 25-22 as Hancock rocketed in six service aces.
Penn State put together a .316 hitting performance to secure the win, with Scott and Slay leading the offensive charge with 15 and 11 kills, respectively. McClendon added nine kills and 11 digs, Hancock also picked up 36 assists and Gonzalez recorded nine digs.
Nia Grant’s five bocks and McClendon’s four led the way as the Nittany Lions held a 9.5-4 advantage in blocking.
The Nittany Lions have a big home opening weekend on tap, with the Nike Big Four Classic coming to Rec Hall. No. 18 Florida and No. 2 Texas meet in the first match late Friday afternoon before Penn State hosts No. 6 Stanford. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will host the Longhorns after the Gators and Cardinal tangle earlier in the evening.
