Nittany Lions put the hammer down on Purdue, sweep the No. 8 team in the country at Rec Hall

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa– The Nittany Lions sweep the number eight team in the country to extend their win streak to three games.

Penn State women’s volleyball continued their incredible season on Thursday as they swept #8 Purdue. This snapped the Boilermakers six game win streak, and extended the Nittany Lions streak to three games.

“I’m proud of the team and how we competed today,” coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said. “I thought everyone contributed and did their job well.”

Through the first half of set one, the Nittany Lions struggled to find their footing and pull away from the Boilermakers.

Raven Colvin of Purdue had a dominant set one, tallying five kills on nine attempts while also dishing out one assist.

Camryn Hannah, Jess Mruzik and Maggie Mendleson carried the load for Penn State in set 1, combining for 15 kills in the set.

After two Purdue timeouts, the Nittany Lions did a nice job not letting the momentum shift and an Izzy Starck kill gave Penn State the first set 25-20.

Set two started very similar to set one. The Nittany Lions played it tight with Purdue to open up the set. But after a 4-0 scoring run, Boilermakers head coach Dave Shondell was forced to use a timeout.

Unlike the timeouts in the first set, Shondells' team came storming back. After a 7-2 scoring run by Penn State, Purdue went on a 5-0 run to tie things at 13.

The Nittany Lions tried to pull ahead, but Purdue kept the pressure on, going on a three to nothing scoring run to force Penn State into another timeout.

After their timeout, Camryn Hannah and the Nittany Lions came marching back, eventually taking a 22-21 lead and forcing Purdue into a timeout. Hannah recorded two kills and a service ace in the comeback effort.

After an attack error by Purdue and two kills from Mendleson and Mruzik, Penn State finally put the Boilermakers to rest in the second set by a final score of 25-23.

Up two sets to none, the Nittany Lions looked to send the number eight team in the country home in a sweeping fashion.

The third set started the same way the first two did, a close back-and-forth game. But once the Nittany Lions got going, they didn’t slow down.

Penn State went on a 4-0 scoring run to go up 12-10, forcing the Boilermakers into a timeout. After the break, another 3-0 scoring run by the Nittany Lions saw the lead go to 17-14.

After the second timeout by Purdue, Penn State pulled ahead for the final time and didn’t look back. The Nittany Lions finished the night on an eight-two scoring run to win their third consecutive game.

The offense was on point throughout the night for Penn State. The team recorded 47 kills compared to Purdue’s 33.

“I think we’ve done a really good job of spreading the ball. Izzy’s done a really good job of that and and just getting us open job of that and just getting us open when we need to be.”

Mendleson was the hero tonight for the Nittany Lions. She was only four kills shy from her season high with 10 and also recorded 4 blocks.

Mendleson was a huge part in Penn State’s efforts to win the 50/50 balls around the net.

“Maggie found a way to score, and I thought defensively was very good,” Schumacher Cawley said. “I’m excited for [her] to continue to do the things they do.”

Aside from notching another ranked win in their belt, this was also Schumacher-Cawley’s 200th win as a head coach. When asked about how she has evolved as a head coach, she said, “I think every team changes you. I think you learn…I’m always wanting to know more and why…I think it’s just a never ending process, and I’m happy to be where I’m at right now.”

“Every plan we have a day and focus, and we’ll continue to do that and get better as a group, and enjoy being home on Sunday,” Schumacher-Cawley said about the road ahead.

Up next, Penn State will have a home tilt against the Washington Huskie on Sunday, Nov. 24. The game will begin at 2 p.m.

Brennan Kirkpatrick is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him please email him at blk4454@psu.edu.