No. 16 Penn State Women’s Volleyball Defeats No. 18 Indiana 3-1
- 18 Indiana 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21) on Sunday at Wilkinson Hall, securing its second win over a nationally-ranked opponent in three days, according to reporting from gopsusports.com.
- Kennedy Martin paced the Nittany Lions with a prolific performance, hitting .514 with 21 kills, nine digs, five blocks, and two aces as detailed by gopsusports.com.
- Penn State opened the match by rolling to a 25-16 win in the first set behind a .542 team hitting percentage and six errorless kills from Martin.
No. 16 Penn State women’s volleyball defeated No. 18 Indiana 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21) on Sunday at Wilkinson Hall, securing its second win over a nationally-ranked opponent in three days, according to reporting from gopsusports.com. The victory brings the Nittany Lions to 15-5 overall and 7-3 in the conference with their third-straight win, while the Hoosiers sit at 12-7 and 5-5, and Penn State improved its all-time series record against Indiana to 63-2.
Kennedy Martin Leads Penn State Attack
Kennedy Martin paced the Nittany Lions with a prolific performance, hitting .514 with 21 kills, nine digs, five blocks, and two aces as detailed by gopsusports.com. Whitney Lauenstein contributed 14 kills, and Gabrielle Nichols hit .500 with seven kills. Setter Alexis Stucky handed out 45 assists while adding five kills on seven errorless swings to help Penn State post a .376 team hitting percentage. Serving proved pivotal as the Nittany Lions racked up 10 aces to just three for the Hoosiers, led by four aces from Ava Falduto.
Josh Pate’s head is gonna explode trying to spin this one 😂Indiana beats Northwestern close: “Hmmm… concerning.” Wisconsin beats Penn State: “WHAT AN UPSET. HUGE WIN.” Then Northwestern beats the brakes off Penn State.So now what? Does Indiana retroactively get a quality…
How the Four Sets Unfolded in Bloomington
Penn State opened the match by rolling to a 25-16 win in the first set behind a .542 team hitting percentage and six errorless kills from Martin. Indiana bounced back in the second set, taking a 25-22 victory as Jaidyn Jager tallied six kills to help the hosts overcome a .314 hitting effort by the Nittany Lions. The psucollegian.com coverage noted that Penn State struggled with service errors in the second frame, committing five of its nine serving miscues during that set. The Nittany Lions reclaimed control in the third set with a 25-16 win powered by Lauenstein hitting .857 with six kills, followed by a 25-21 triumph in the fourth set where Martin hit .875 with seven kills to seal the match.
Standout Performances and Statistical Contrasts
Avry Tatum led Indiana with 17 kills and four blocks while hitting .297, and Jaidyn Jager chipped in 11 kills for the Hoosiers. According to gopsusports.com, Stucky recorded the 100th service ace of her career during the match, while Nichols notched a pair of career-high two aces, with her second ace securing match point. Meanwhile, psucollegian.com highlighted that the opening set featured an intense early battle before Penn State capitalized on an efficient 15-kill performance against only six errors, compared to Indiana’s six errors on 10 kills.
Upcoming Match Against Ohio State
Penn State returns to action on Thursday at 7 p.m. to host Ohio State for Military Appreciation Night, as reported by psucollegian.com. The Buckeyes enter the matchup at 10-10 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten following three consecutive losses against UCLA, Indiana, and Oregon.