No. 1 Penn State Takes Down Duke to Win Duke Invitational

Saturday, September 12

Durham, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

Penn State

No. 1 Penn State Takes Down Duke to Win Duke Invitational

9/12/2009 9:30:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. - Megan Hodge put down 19 kills without a single attack error to lead No. 1 Penn State to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15) win over Duke in the Duke Invitational championship match Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 3,822 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Hodge hit .655 in the match, connecting on 19 of her 29 attacks and was named MVP of the Duke Invitational. For the tournament, the Durham, N.C., native and former Riverside High School standout totaled 44 kills, hit .556 with just four attack errors and averaged 2.11 digs and 0.89 blocks per set.

Duke (8-2, 0-0 ACC) lost at its home tournament for the first time since 1999, ending a streak of 29 consecutive victories at the Duke Invitational. The Blue Devils gave Penn State a scare in the first set, falling by just four in the opener while hitting .333. Duke also took the top-ranked Nittany Lions to the wire in the second set, coming within one point at 16-15, before Hodge took over and ended Duke's last shot at taking a game from the defending national champions.

Duke managed to score 53 points against Penn State, which is the third most that any team has scored against Penn State this season. Sophia Dunworth and all-tournament selection Becci Burling led the Duke attack with seven kills apiece, while fellow all-tournament choice Kellie Catanach totaled 25 assists and three kills. After hitting .333 in the opening set, however, Penn State used its block to hold duke under .100 over the final two frames.

Led by six blocks from Hodge and five apiece from Fatima Balza, Arielle Wilson and all-tournament selection Blair Brown, the Nittany Lions put back 11.5 of Duke's attacks, including 6.5 in the final set. Penn State averaged 3.50 blocks per set for the tournament with Wilson leading the way with an average of 1.78 per frame.

Also appearing on the all-tournament team for Penn State was setter Alisha Glass, who averaged 12.67 assists per set and guided her squad to a .449 hitting percentage, and libero Alyssa D'Errico, who was named outstanding libero after averaging 4.22 digs per set. Glass also hit .667 with nine kills and just one attack error, while D'Errico also racked up three service aces.

Penn State's offense was in sync from the first set, as the Nittany Lions hit .400 and made just four attack errors to take the opener 25-21. Glass dished out 16 assists and favored Brown, who connected on six of her team-high 16 attacks, and Hodge, who went 5-for-8 without an error. The Blue Devils held their own with a .333 hitting percentage and never trailed by more than four, but could not keep up with Penn State's efficiency. Amanda Robertson and Dunworth came up big for Duke, combining for seven kills and no errors. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions had more firepower and put 18 kills past the Duke defense.

Penn State was more dominant on the defensive end in the second set, but still struggled to break away from the Blue Devils until a late run capped the 25-17 win. Duke managed to come within one point at 15-16 on a service ace from Catanach, but went on to give up a 9-2 run that ended the set. Penn State used Hodge to shut down the Blue Devils, giving her 11 attacks in which she converted seven kill for a .636 hitting percentage. Penn State out-dug Duke 16-9, thanks to four-kill efforts from Brown, Hodge and D'Errico.

The third set opened with seven unanswered points from Penn State, two of which were kills by Hodge and two others on blocks from Balza and Blair. Despite a late rally that saw Duke outscore Penn State 10-6 over the remainder of the match, Duke never rebounded and fell 25-15. Penn State's 6.5 blocks, coupled with seven kills from Hodge, was the key the match-winner.

Duke will open ACC play next Friday, Sept. 18, when Duke heads to Wake Forest's home court for the Black & Gold Challenge. Duke opens the tournament against the Demon Deacons at 7 p.m. before facing Liberty and Appalachian State on Saturday.

Duke Invitational All-Tournament Team
MVP: Megan Hodge (Penn State)
Outstanding Libero: Alyssa D'Errico (Penn State)
Alisha Glass (Penn State)
Blair Brown (Penn State
Becci Burling (Duke)
Kellie Catanach (Duke)
Ginny Phillips (College of Charleston)
Nina Camaioni (Loyola)

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