Sept. 24, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa– The University of Iowa volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 5 Penn State Saturday evening inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Senior Tiffany Nilges led the Hawkeyes putting down 10 kills. Sophomore Nikki Dailey dished out 29 assists and sophomore Bethany Yeager recorded 16 digs.
“I like the way we competed tonight,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “I think we lost our passing arms during the intermission. We just were not able to get into a rhythm offensively. The way we battled in the first two sets, I thought we’d come out with a little more intensity, but you have to give Penn State credit. They’re a great team and I thought we battled well.”
Penn State took a close set one, 25-23. The Hawkeyes took an early advantage by opening the set with a 3-0 run. The Nittany Lions would later respond with 4-0 run that tied the set, 10-10. Penn State continued the momentum and claimed its first lead of the frame, 12-11. Iowa would later use a 4-0 run to pull within one, 23-22, but Penn State used kills from Deja McClendon and Ariel Scott to finish the frame. Senior Mallory Husz led Iowa with four kills and Dailey added eight assists. Nilges and Yeager combined for 10 digs.
The Nittany Lions earned the match advantage, 2-0, with a 25-23 win in the second set. The frame proved to be a back-and-forth battle that was tied at 15 before the Nittany Lions were able to make their first 3-0 run. The Hawkeyes continued to fight, pulling within one, 24-23, and force a Penn State timeout. McClendon then answered the timeout with her fifth kill of the set to end the frame. Nilges put down seven kills and Dailey collected 14 assists. Yeager picked up seven digs.
The Nittany Lions used an 18-4 run in the third frame to cruise to a 25-14 victory and seal the 3-0 sweep. Nilges recorded another three digs and Dailey dished out seven assists. Yeager collected seven digs.
The Hawkeyes return to Big Ten action Friday, Sept. 30 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Iowa faces Michigan at 6 p.m. CT inside Cliff Keen Arena.
| Penn State vs. Iowa | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Penn State (8-4, 1-1) | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Iowa (10-5, 0-2) | 23 | 23 | 14 |
| Statistical Leaders | |||
| Kills: Megan Eskew (UI) 12 | Scott (PSU) 11 | |||
| Assists: Nikki Dailey (UI) 32 | Hancock (PSU) 43 | |||
| Digs: Bethany Yeager (UI) 13 | Longo (PSU) 12 |