Dec. 14, 2013

Recap | Box Score | Quotes

Team Records and Notes:

• Penn State advanced to the NCAA Final Four, which will take place Dec. 20 in Seattle, Wash.
• Penn State now leads the all-time series 8-7. Penn State also improved to 4-2 against Stanford in the NCAA Tournament.
• Penn State advanced to the National Semifinal for the second year in a row. The Nittany Lions have now reached the Final Four five of the past six years.
• Penn State improved to 32-2 on the season. Stanford ended the year 27-6.

First Set:

• The first set featured a match-high 13 ties and seven lead changes, with Penn State winning four straight points to win it 25-22 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
• Stanford took the first lead multi-point lead of the match at 4-2, and again edged ahead by two at 6-4.
• After going up 1-0, Penn State didn’t lead again until winning three straight points to go up 7-6.
• Penn State took its first multi-point lead at 14-12.
• From 15-15, Penn State won three points in a row to take the match’s first lead more than two points at 18-15, and force Stanford to take its first timeout.
• Stanford dropped the first point after its timeout, but won the next five, taking a 20-19 lead, and causing Penn State to call its first timeout.
• Penn State claimed the three of the next four points before Stanford took a timeout trailing 21-22.
• Stanford won the next two points, before Penn State called timeout trailing 22-23.
• Penn State closed the set on a 4-0 run to win 25-22.
• Rachel Williams (Stanford) recorded a set-high 5 kills in the first set.
• Micha Hancock (Penn State) and Madi Bugg (Stanford) each had a set-high nine assists in the opening game.
• Brittany Howard (Stanford) and Megan Courtney (Penn State) each had five digs in the first stanza.
• Penn State out-blocked Stanford 6-3 in the set.

Second Set:

• Both teams remained within two points of one another for much of the second set’s early-going as Penn State led 15-14 at the media timeout.
• Penn State edged ahead 17-14, forcing Stanford to take its first timeout.
• Penn State would lead by as much as four late in the set, but Stanford got within one at 21-22, and 22-23, but from there Penn State won the next two points to tie the match at a set-all.
• Penn State had a 19-13 advantage in kills, and also made just one attacking error compared with Stanford’s six.
• Deja McClendon (Penn State) had a set-high seven kills.
• Kyle Gilbert (Stanford) had a set-high seven digs.

Third Set:

• Penn State won the first three points of the set, and never trailed again in the third.
• Penn State was on a 4-0 run and leading 14-10 when Stanford took its first timeout, and the Nittany Lions were able to increase their lead to 15-10.
• Stanford chipped away from there, eventually tying it up at 23-23.
• Stanford saved three set points before Penn State eventually won the third set 28-26.
• Ariel Scott (Penn State) had a set-high eight kills in the third.

Fourth Set:

• After falling behind 2-3, Stanford never trailed again in the fourth set.
• Stanford took the match’s largest lead at 23-14.
• Penn State saved two set points before Stanford sent the match to a final set, winning the fourth set 25-18.
• Inky Ajanaku paced Stanford with five kills in the fourth set. She added two blocks.
• Ariel Scott led Penn State with four kills in the fourth.
• Three Stanford players – Kyle Gilbert, Madi Bugg and Jordan Burgess – had four digs in the fourth set.

Fifth Set:

• Stanford continued its momentum into the final set, and led 8-5 at the media timeout.
• Penn State won six of the next seven points to take an 11-9 lead and force a Stanford timeout.
• Penn State finished the match having won 10 of the final 16 points, including the last two.

Individual Notes:  

• Ariel Scott (Penn State) finished with a match-high 22 kills. She added eighth digs.
• Kyle Gilbert (Stanford) led Stanford’s defense with a match-high 20 digs.
• Three Nittany Lions – Dominique Gonzalez, Micha Hancock and Deja McClendon finished with more than 15 digs.
• McClendon had a match-high 16 digs and she added 21 kills, which was the second most by any player.
• Hancock had a match-high 58 assists.
• Madi Bugg (Stanford) had 54 assists and added 15 digs.