No. 6 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Eastern Kentucky 3-0 Friday night in its home opener at Rec Hall.

Russ Rose’s 40th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions began with a 25-17, 25-14, 25-15 win over the Colonels. Nia Reed led the team with a career-high 14 kills.

How It Happened

Penn State’s starting lineup consisted of Reed, Tori Gorrell, Bryanna Weiskircher, Kendall White, Taylor Leath, and a pair of true freshmen in Serena Gray and Jonni Parker.

Jenna Hampton, Gabby Blossom, and Allyson Cathey — also members of the program’s top-ranked 2018 recruiting class — made their collegiate debuts in the first set. Kaitlyn Hord, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker, joined them when she started the third set for the Nittany Lions.

Leath put together a strong showing in her first Penn State match, as the North Carolina graduate transfer finished with nine kills and seven digs. White, who last season earned AVCA second team All-American honors, recorded a match-high 19 digs.

Parker and Gorrell added six kills apiece in the victory, while Weiskircher and Blossom traded time at setter. The redshirt senior notched 23 assists to Blossom’s 10 against the Colonels. Cathey, Gray, and Hord combined for eight kills in their first Rec Hall appearance.

“The defense probably was the thing I was most pleased with, but I thought Nia took some good swings and Tori I thought played really well offensively and had some good blocks,” Rose said afterward.

“I had a little jitters at first,” Hampton said, “but I got it out of the way. I saw things I needed to work on, so I’m excited for this year.” The freshman defensive specialist from Tampa was complimentary of Reed’s performance, saying, “I think she hit over the block well today. I thought she had really good swings in deep corners and she played smart.”

Player of the Match

Nia Reed | Outside hitter

The Fort Lee, NJ, native couldn’t have asked for a better way to start her redshirt senior season, tallying a match-high 14 kills and two blocks.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (1-0) return to Rec Hall Saturday for a doubleheader against University of Maryland Baltimore County at 10 a.m. and Navy at 7 p.m. in the Penn State Classic.