Fall sports update: Women’s volleyball wins Big Ten opener

Women’s volleyball (11-1)

The No. 4 women’s volleyball team easily cruised through the Penn State Classic with a 3-0 win over James Madison and a 3-1 win over Yale. Camryn Hannah and Jess Mruzik recorded double-digit kills in both games for the offense, which bounced back from its disastrous performance against Pitt.

Penn State headed to its conference opener last night against No. 10 Purdue. The Lions controlled the game from the start, winning the first set 25-14 while easily defeating the Boilermakers 3-0. Setter Izzy Starck recorded 38 assists, 13 digs and four kills, continuing her sensational freshman season.

The Lions return home to take on Michigan State on Sunday (2 p.m.).

Women’s soccer (8-2-1)

Scoring was optional in both of last week’s women’s soccer games, as the team beat Northwestern 1-0 before losing to new No. 1 Michigan State 1-0. Kaitlyn MacBean scored the lone goal in the win over the Wildcats, her 10th goal of the season. Penn State largely outplayed Northwestern, outscoring the Wildcats 8-2 in the second half.

Penn State had 11 shots on goal against Michigan State but couldn’t find the net in the 1-0 loss. Amanda Poorbaugh made three saves, but a Spartans goal in the third minute made the difference in the game.

The Lions fell to No. 15 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches poll. Penn State will continue conference play tonight with a road game against Iowa (8 p.m. on Big Ten Plus), followed by another road contest against Nebraska on Sunday (1 p.m. on BTN).

Field hockey (4-3)

Phia Gladieux’s two-goal goal gave Penn State a 2-1 comeback win over Bucknell in overtime. The Lions trailed Bucknell 1-0 in the fourth period before Gladieux tied the game with 10:42 left. Both teams had great chances to win the game in regular time, but were unable to capitalize on them.

In overtime, Gladieux scored unassisted just 1:22 into the overtime session, giving Penn State a much-needed win in conference play.

Penn State will return home to face Indiana in its conference opener on Friday (4 p.m. on Big Ten Plus), followed by a game against Lafayette on Sunday (1 p.m. on Big Ten Plus).

Men’s soccer (4-5)

The men’s soccer team rebounded with a 2-1 win over Michigan State and a 2-1 win over St. John’s. In both games, Penn State trailed 1-0 at halftime before winning again.

Against Michigan State, Malick Daouda converted a free kick opportunity in the 86th minute to give the Lions a 2-1 win and end the team’s three-game losing streak.

Penn State trailed St. John’s 1-0 in the 75th minute before Matthew Henderson tied the game on a corner kick. Just five minutes later, Henderson set up Michael Hewes for the game-winning goal, ending a difficult non-conference period on a high note.

Penn State is idle this weekend before a road game against Maryland next Tuesday (6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network).