UNIVERSITY PARK — A day after a five-set thriller, the Penn State women’s volleyball team made short work of the nation’s No. 2 team.
The fourth-ranked Nittany Lions rolled to a 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 romp against Texas in a battle of unbeatens in the Rockvale Outlets Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions improved to 5-0 for the season, while the Longhorns dropped to 5-1.
Ariel Scott was named the MVP of the two-day event, while Deja McClendon and Micha Hancock were named to the all-tournament team.
Scott led the team for the second straight night with 12 kills, while McClendon posted 11. Hancock paced the offense with 34 assists and had five kills in seven errorless swings. Lacey Fuller led the Nittany Lions with nine digs and Megan Courtney had eight. Katie Slay had a match-high four blocks and Courtney added three.
With the score at 18-18 in the first set, three Texas errors helped Penn State to take a 21-19, which grew to 23-20 with a Slay kill and a Longhorn attack error. Texas grabbed two points off Nittany Lion service errors, but McClendon pounded two kills to close out the set 25-22.
Texas led 19-17 in the second set, but the Longhorns had a serving error to give Penn State the ball and Scott and Hancock each pounded a kill to move the Lions in front 20-19. Texas tied the score, but a 3-0 Nittany Lions run pushed the lead to 23-20 and McClendon kill and a Texas error secured set at 25-21.
The score also was tied late in the third, but a Courtney kill and a block by Hancock and Slay gave Penn State the lead for good at 20-18.
With the score 24-20, the Longhorns got two points before a service error sealed the win for Penn State.
Texas’ Haley Eckerman and Khat Bell, Florida’s Ziva Recek and Stanford’s Morgan Boukather and Carly Wopat also made the all-tournament team.


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