No. 1 Penn State Women’s Volleyball Bests No. 9 Wisconsin

No. 1 Penn State women’s volleyball beat No. 9 Wisconsin 3-1 Wednesday night at Rec Hall in the program’s annual Dig Pink match.

Russ Rose’s Nittany Lions topped the Badgers 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-16 to extend their winning streak to 10 straight matches in conference play.

How It Happened

Haleigh Washington led the way with four kills in Penn State’s first-set win, though it was largely difficult for either team to generate much offensive production early. Washington is now the only active Big Ten player with 1,000 career kills and 500 blocks.

Wisconsin established an 18-11 lead midway through the second set, but the Nittany Lions clawed their way back to retake the lead, 22-21, and eventually the game. Penn State headed into the intermission up 2-0 thanks in part to Kendall White and Simone Lee’s tremendous defense. White turned in a match-high 21 digs, while Lee tallied a new personal best with 18.

Rose couldn’t have asked for much more from backup outside hitter Nia Reed, who connected on all but one of her first nine swings. She finished with a career-high 11 kills and a block in the victory. Wisconsin stayed alive with an impressive showing in the third set, but the Nittany Lions took care of business in the fourth.

Player Of The Match

Haleigh Washington | Senior | Middle blocker

The Colorado Springs native paced Penn State in both kills and blocks with 14 and eight, respectively.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (20-1) face Illinois on the road Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Penn State swept the Illini when they visited Rec Hall earlier this season on Sept. 29.