Senior Night ends in sweep

While fans cheered for a sweep of No. 19 Minnesota (30-14, 30-24, 30-21) on Friday and were on their feet giving a standing ovation for the trio of seniors, the volume in the building instantly came to a crashing halt.

An injury to Christa Harmotto in the middle of a sweep of Iowa (30-14, 30-24, 30-16) brought the crowd to a dead-silence besides the lone voice of a whispering radio commentator describing the scene.

Penn State was able to stay unblemished in conference play, yet the weekend ended on the biggest shocker of the season. Holm simply described her reaction after coming into the match for Harmotto as "nausea."

The weekend was supposed to be a special one for the seniors. Walters played well in both matches, producing 5.5 kills per game, above her average of 4.95. Tortorello dished out 47 assists against the Hawkeyes (14-17, 4-14) in only three games.

Though Rose took his typical even-keeled approach to the victories, he was able to give extra perspective to Senior Night.

"I'm always happy with my seniors," Rose said. "They've been through the most amount of demanding practices and preseason of all the players. I would never judge a player on one match. I thought they were fine."

As Holm, Tortorello, and Walters tried to separate the matches from the festivities -- and then the injury -- there were still some good memories to be had.

The seniors were honored by teammates with ballooned parting gifts as they walked toward the 3-meter line between their mothers and fathers before the Iowa match.

It may not have been the trio's final bow at home. There is a distinct possibility that the Lions will be playing at Rec Hall during the NCAA regional championships. The first and second rounds of the national championship tournament could be in State College as well.

The crowd still cheered and gave their final goodbyes for the regular season. It was a moment that the players were happy to share with the fans.

"I think it's really special just to walk out with your parents," Walters said. "It was just a great feeling to know that my parents have given me all the opportunities that I've had to get here. "

Buried in the fog of the other events were the matches themselves. Pre-match introductions were spectacles. Minnesota players joined in a circle and shook their hands above each starter like they were trying to summon some divine volleyball power.

The last to exit the huddle for the Golden Gophers was the senior libero Gentil, arguably the best, and most flamboyant, defensive player in the country with 5.88 digs per game.

Penn State buried her early, taking a 9-3 lead in the first game off of a kill by junior Cassy Salyer. The ball crashed off Gentil, knocking her to the hardwood.

Gentil flew all over the court, but couldn't be everywhere as sophomore Melissa Walbridge two-hand dunked an overpass to make the score 19-8.

Eventually the game ended with a 30-14 Penn State win after a shot out of bounds by Minnesota. The Gophers hit -.235 in the game while the Lions hit .417.

In Game 2, Penn State trailed Minnesota 21-19 before a dominating solo block by Salyer on a huge swing by Gopher junior Meredith Nelson. On the next rally, Nelson has another shot in Salyer's face, but whiffed timidly for a hitting error to knot up the game at 22. The Lions eventually closed out the game, 30-24.

After Penn State closed out the Gophers in Game 3, Rose was happy with his front-row players, including Walbridge, who had 14 kills and 8 blocks. Not much else had Rose's interest.

"It's nice to get a victory when you don't play your best," Rose said. "Some of the players were keyed up because Minnesota has beaten us the last two seasons at home. It's a victory over a good team, and it's a step closer to the postseason."

And the next night came with the 3-0 sweep to Iowa where Penn State hit .719 in the first game. But nothing took precedent over the weekend and all that transpired.

"It was a nice offensive evening other than the injury to Christa," Rose said. "There isn't going to be anything better than the concern we have for her."