Oregon State
6-2
Penn State
6-1
Volleyball Takes Down No. 2 Penn State
September 08, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
CHICAGO - A little more than two weeks ago, during the Oregon State volleyball team's weekend opening-tournament, the Beavers took No. 22 Kansas State to five sets but couldn't ride momentum to a victory.
On Saturday, the Beavers again took a top-25 team to five sets, but this time, it was a different story. Oregon State upset No. 2 Penn State in five sets, 17-25, 25-17, 11-25, 25-17, 15-12.
The Beavers dealt Penn State its first loss of the season (6-1) while improving to 6-2 themselves. The win over the second-ranked Nittany Lions gave OSU its first victory over a top-25 team this season and fifth top-10 win in eight seasons under head coach Taras Liskevych.
Oregon State's last non-conference win over a top-25 opponent? Prior to Saturday, it was Sept. 19, 2009 against No. 6 Michigan.
Penn State took an 8-7 lead midway through the fifth set but the Beavers fought back for a 12-10 advantage. The Nittany Lions tied the score at 12; then Ashley Eneliko put the Beavers up for good with her sixth and final kill of the night.
Penn State was then credited with two attack errors for the Beavers' final two points of the set.
"This was a great win for us," Liskevych said. "One of the great things was how we played in sets four and five. It was a great match by everybody who played. Haley Clarke, Megan McBride and Darby Reeder did well off the bench. It was a really great effort by our outside hitters; probably the best performance of the season. Camille (Saxton) hit .270, Laura (Schaudt) hit .333 and Ashley hit .385."
Saxton set a career-high with 23 kills; the senior posted a .270 hitting percentage to lead the Beavers, who hit .229 as a team. Ariel Scott paced Penn State with 14 kills. The Nittany Lions hit .205.
Becky Defoe continued her dominance defensively, leading the Beavers in digs for the seventh time this season; she had 17. McBride, whom Liskevych praised, came off the bench to tally a team-leading 26 assists.
Arica Nassar had seven blocks for the second consecutive match. The Beavers tallied eight as a team.
Penn State hit .345 in the first set to win, 25-17. The Beavers, meanwhile, managed just a .036 clip with Saxton claiming five kills. The set started off close, with the Nittany Lions holding an 8-7 lead. Penn State, however, was able to stretch that lead to 18-11 and never looked back to go up 1-0.
Oregon State hit a healthy .353 as a team in the second set, buoyed by Saxton's seven kills. The Nittany Lions hit .056 and saw the Beavers jump out to a 13-9 lead before extending it to 22-16.
The Nittany Lions put themselves in the driver's seat, or so they thought, with a dominating 25-11 third-set win. OSU hit .000 during the frame compared to a .371 clip for Penn State. OSU managed six kills during the frame compared to 15 for PSU.
The Beavers battled back, however, for the 25-17 fourth-set win. Saxton and McBride had four kills apiece for the Beavers, who ran out to a 13-9 advantage, then a 19-14 lead. That lead moved to 22-17 before consecutive kills by McBride and Saxton helped close out the set.
Oregon State finishes play at the Chicago Classic Sunday morning when taking on DePaul at 9 a.m. PT.
Visit osubeavers.com for live stats and a full recap and box score afterwards.
Season Tickets On Sale
Season and single-match tickets for the Beavers' 2012 campaign are now on sale.
Season tickets are $56 for adults and seniors/children (aged 62 or older or ages 3-18) are $40. Adult single-match tickets are $7, while children are $5. Groups of 20 or more can purchase tickets for $2 per.
Fans can purchase tickets in person at the Gill Coliseum ticket office, over the phone by calling 1-800-GOBEAVS or online at beavertickets.com.
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeavsVolleyball or by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball.
Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events.
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