PITTSBURGH– For Penn State volleyball, it was a familiar story with a different ending.
Just like in this past Monday’s game at Kansas, the No. 2 team in the country found itself down two sets to one.
Just like at Kansas, set No. 4 was a doozy.
But unlike at Kansas, where Penn State won set No. 4 30-28 and went on to win in five, it lost the fourth set to No. 13 Arizona State in Pittsburgh, 31-29.
Therefore, the 14-game win streak is over.
Here are five takeaways from Penn State volleyball’s first loss as defending national champs.
THE RALLY
If there was one turning point to Arizona State’s win, it was this.
After Penn State won the first set 25-21, set two was tied at 18.
Then, a rally that felt longer than any of the Godfather movies transpired.
Arizona State won it– with a kill by Kiylah Presley finishing it off– and ended up winning that set .
For ASU coach JJ Van Niel, that rally turned the set.
Although Van Neil didn’t say it, that set pretty much turned the match.
“My stats and (analytics) friend Joe Trinsey, a great friend of mine, would say no, there’s absolutely no coorleation,” Van Neil said afterward. “But I would say I thought that was a turning point in the set. Those big rallies are really fun, and I think when you come out on top, it shows that you keep scrapping and find out ways to scrap out a point, it kind of just builds your confidence. To be honest, I think it also just reinforces why you go for everything. So I think it was a turning point.”
For Penn State middlebacker Maggie Mendelson, losing that point didn’t necessarily turn the tide.
“We got out-competed today,” she said, “and I don’t think that was specifically in that ralley itself.”
GOLDEN GLOVER
It was clear who the best player was for Arizona State.
It was Noemie Glover.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Glover’s carrer-high 22 kills were– pun fully intended– killer to Penn State.
“Just being agressive,” Glover said. “Just going for what’s open. Obviously, their right side is also kind of super. She was making a lot of points, so, it was like “how can we match that. How can we keep energy on our side.”
JUST TOO MANY ERRORS
Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley knew the loss was about more than one thing.
“You want just one?” she joked with a reporter afterword.
But a big reason for the loss was errors.
Penn State had a total of 50 of them compared to Arizona State’s 41.
Yeah, not great.
“I think, collectivley, we need to be better as a team,” she said. “I think, like I said, a lot of unforced errors, and we need to control the ball on our side of the net, and we didn’t do a good job of that. So I think its one play at a time, and being able to be focused, whether its serve, receive or defense on first balls. So, we have to get bet on doing the little things well.”
NOT A LOT OF TIME TO SULK
It would be wrong for Penn State to not be frustrated by losing.
The key is not letting it lead to another loss tomorrow against No. 25 TCU.
“Trying to be a mature team and having a quick turnaround is really hard,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “But it’s a great opportunity for the team to come together and to be better. You don’t get to play pre (Big Ten) season matches like this in an amazing arena (often). So we need to sit back, enjoy the moment, but be able to be better.
THE LAST WORD
Overall, Mendelson summed up the night well.
“But I think we’re going to come back and play better Penn State volleyball because we’re better competitors than what we showed today,” she said. Â
