Sept. 6, 2008
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior Dana Tartazky led the Wildcats with 10 kills as they fell 3-0 (20-25, 12-25, 16-25), to the no. 1 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in the final match of the Nittany Lion Invitational on Saturday night.
Junior Chelsea Graman gave out 13 assists in the match, while freshman Kim Maroon collected nine digs and senior Kaela Frizzell tallied eight.
Villanova (3-3) got on the board first in the first set with a 2-0 lead, and then advanced with a 7-6 advantage following a hitting error from Penn State (6-0). Villanova used a timeout as the Nittany Lions took a 14-11 lead, but the Wildcats scored following the break to pull within two points. With PSU leading, 18-13, Villanova used its final timeout. The Nittany Lions served for set point at 24-18, but Villanova held them off on two plays before dropping the first set, 25-20. Tartazky hit three kills in the stanza.
After a 5-5 tie to open the second frame, Penn State scored four consecutive point and forced Villanova into a timeout. Penn State jumped to a 14-7 advantage. The Wildcats would not threaten again as the Nittany Lions served for set point with a 24-11 lead and won the second set, 25-12, after a second attempt. Tartazky again led the Wildcats posting five kills.
Penn State got out to a 7-5 lead as Villanova called its first timeout in the third stanza. A 10-4 run from the Nittany Lions increased their lead to 17-9. The score was 21-12 after a kill from junior Elysse Studzinski, and 22-14 following an ace from senior Emily Brown, but the Wildcats would not come closer as they fell in set three, 25-16.
The Wildcats will return to the court on Friday, Sept. 12 to face Miami in the San Francisco Tournament, hosted by the University of San Francisco. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.
