Today in Penn State sports: Sept. 22, 2017
Checking out Friday’s highlights in Penn State sports:
Women’s volleyball
Nebraska sweeps Penn State in Big Ten opener
The high-powered volleyball showdown brought a surprise result at Rec Hall on Friday night.
No. 14 Nebraska swept away No. 2 Penn State 26-24, 25-19, 25-20 in the Big Ten opener, delivering the Nittany Lions (10-1) their first loss of the season and the first 3-0 home loss since a Minnesota sweep in 2003.
Nebraska (8-3), the defending Big Ten champs, also ended Penn State’s season in the NCAA regional semifinals last fall.
The Nitany Lions did not have an answer for the Huskers’ Annika Albrecht and Sydney Townsend. Albrecht put down 19 kills on .400 hitting, while Holman had 13 kills with just one error and hit .750.
Penn State was paced by Simone Lee’s 15 kills and 13 digs, and Ali Frantti added nine kills. Haleigh Washington posted four blocks, Kendall White had 10 digs, Abby Detering gave out 20 assists and Bryuanna Weiskircher contributed 14 assists.
Penn State returns to the court at 4 p.m. Saturday, hosting Iowa.
Field hockey
PSU wins with last-minute goal
UNIVERSITY PARK With just a single minute left in regulation Friday, Penn State’s Moira Putsch scored the game-winning goal to give her team the 4-3 win over No. 14 Northwestern.
It was Putsch’s second goal of the night. Aurelia Meijer and Shay Cannon scored the others for the Nittany Lions.
PSU will next take on Michigan at home at noon Sunday.
Women’s soccer
Lions win 1-0 over Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa The No. 7 Nittany Lions’ first goal may have taken a little more than 70 minutes, but it was the worth the wait Friday in a 1-0 victory over Iowa.
With less than 20 minutes left in regulation, Salina Williford found the back of the net on a header from Frannie Crouse. Goalkeeper Rose Chandler preserved the shutout by making three saves.
PSU is now 7-2 on the season and 3-0 in Big Ten play.
Women’s tennis
Wins rare on Day 1 of tourney
PHILADELPHIA Four of Penn State’s singles players went a combined 1-4 Friday at the UPenn Invitational.
The doubles team of Hanna Wikberg-Frederikke Svarre came away with a 6-2 win over Princeton’s pair, while Penn State’s other doubles team received a bye.
“We would have liked to pick up some more wins today,” assistant coach Mike Fenwick acknowledged.
Wikberg started the day off with a singles win but then fell to No. 1-seed Jennifer Kerr of Columbia, 6-1, 6-1. The tournament continues Saturday.
This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 12:41 AM with the headline "Today in Penn State sports: Sept. 22, 2017."