While most members of the Penn State women's volleyball team got on a plane to travel to a series of away matches, Megan Hodge and Katie Kabbes were heading back home.
With No. 1 Penn State playing in the Duke Invitational, the two outside hitters had the opportunity to play in front of their family and friends in their home state of North Carolina.
Hodge and Kabbes both had season-best performances over the weekend as Penn State (9-0) won all three of its weekend matches, extending its current record-setting streak to 73 consecutive matches won. The Lions won all nine sets played against Loyola, College of Charleston and Duke in the Invitational.
Against Loyola in the first match of the Invitational, sophomore Kabbes led the team with eight kills, tying her career best. She also had an attack percentage of .316 in that match.
In the match against Duke, Hodge had a season-best 19 kills and an attack percentage of .655, leading the team in both categories. Hodge now has 108 kills on the season.
"Megan was unstoppable this weekend," junior middle hitter Blair Brown said. "She was hitting really high and really hard. It made it very hard to defend her. In front of her home town, it was great for her to have such a good showing."
Throughout the Invitational, Brown said the Lions did a good job of passing and setting the ball. She said her teammates were able to get the ball into the middle of the court more, which opened up a lot more space on the outside.
Kabbes agreed, saying the team has a lot of options when it comes to attacking, which can confuse the other team's blockers. She said the confusion can lead to openings on the other side of the court, which allows the team to attack from anywhere on the floor.
The team combined for 138 total kills throughout the Invitational, and an average attack percentage of .454. The Lions had 28 attack errors over the weekend.
"I thought we had different people playing well at different times," Penn State coach Russ Rose said. "We had a few examples throughout the three matches where people got a little casual and aren't focused all the time. I thought our passing was good and it allowed Alisha (Glass) to do what she wanted to do offensively."
While the Lions' attack flourished, their opponents had trouble getting anything started offensively. Penn State's opponents combined for 66 kills, and a .032 attack percentage. They also had 56 total errors throughout the Invitational.
The Lions took advantage of their opponent's weaknesses, and outscored them 225-124. Overall, Kabbes said the Lions were satisfied with their weekend play.
"It's always nice to play well and come together in front of a crowd and show them what our volleyball looks like," Kabbes said. "It was a fun weekend and a success overall."
