On a night in which she surpassed the 1,000 kill plateau, Katie Schumacher looks back and recalls the one that got away.
Schumacher reached the milestone early in the first game with the second of her career-high 27 kills. The Buckeyes stormed to a 10-0 lead, setting the pace of the game early and controlling play.
Schumacher finally got an opportunity and sent the ball to the floor for a 10-1 score. She recorded the next kill of the game to reach 10-2.
"I wasn't even thinking about it," she said. "We were down by so much and were off to such a shaky start. It would have been more of a big deal at home."
Penn State would lose the game 30-24.
After bouncing back with wins in the second and third games, the Nittany Lions staked a 29-27 lead and were in a match-point situation in game four. On a broken play, Schumacher ran to the right side of the court to make a play. Ohio State gave the Lions a free ball, and setter Jess Hayden played it to Schumacher even though she wasn't back to her natural side of the court.
"You want your best players taking swings when the game is on the line," said Penn State assistant coach Julie Miller. "It was a good play by Jess and Katie had a shot to put away the game."
After pounding the ball through the Buckeye block all night long, Schumacher opted for an off-speed hit and misplayed the ball, bringing the score to 29-28. Ohio State scored the next three points to win the game, then rolled to a 15-12 win in the fifth and deciding game.
"We had the match won and I couldn't finish it," Schumacher said. "We couldn't push all the way through, and that's the thing that sticks about that game."
Though it came in such a bittersweet manner, the milestone cannot be tainted.
Schumacher is just the 12th Lion to reach the mark and the first since Lauren Cacciamani did it in 1998.
What is most impressive about Schumacher reaching the mark is that she did it after being the focal point of the offense for just one full season. She redshirted in 1997 and saw time in only 11 matches during '98.
The majority of the swings in '99 went to Cacciamani or Carrie Schonveld, as they led that team to a national championship.
Last year, Schumacher finally took the reigns and racked up almost half of her 1,000 kills (458.) She finished that season averaging 3.69 kills a game. She is up almost a kill per game this year, as she is averaging 4.48 thus far.
"It's a nice thing for her to get," said Penn State head coach Russ Rose. "But I think in the context, it didn't mean much to her. She's always held the team ahead of personal goals."
The boatload of kills might be a testimony to her play on the court, but Schumacher's true value to the team can't possibly be measured with statistics.
