No. 6 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Temple 3-0 Friday night in Rec Hall as the program celebrated Russ Rose’s 40th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

Five different Penn State players had at least five kills in the 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 win over the in-state Owls.

How It Happened

Freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord made her first career start in the victory, joining classmates Serena Gray and Jonni Parker in the starting lineup. Redshirt junior Tori Gorrell, typically a middle blocker, came off the bench and played some right side.

Bryanna Weiskircher’s service ace on set point helped the Nittany Lions capture the first frame. Temple tied things up at 18-all toward the end of the set before three consecutive errors gave Penn State the breathing room it needed.

The Owls took a 17-13 lead late in the second set after a Rose timeout, but Penn State came roaring back thanks to kills from Gray and Taylor Leath and a service ace from walk-on defensive specialist Bayleigh Hoffman.

Temple refused to go away in the third set, taking an 8-3 lead over the Nittany Lions before Rose called for time. With Penn State down 19-13, freshman outside hitter Allyson Cathey subbed in hoping to create some positive momentum. She did just that with three kills on four swings. 

“I thought it was a tough match, spirited match,” Rose said afterward. “We’ve got a lot of young kids and with young players there’s just a lot of challenges associated with knowing if they’re ready to play. I thought the middles did a real nice job. I thought a couple of the back-row players were a little nervous early…but Temple’s always a really tough opponent.”

The highlight of the night was undoubtedly authored by Kendall White, who made an incredible, one-handed diving play for a rare libero kill. She recorded a match-high 13 digs. 

Player of the Match

Bryanna Weiskircher | Setter

Weiskircher finished with a match-high 27 assists, five digs, three blocks, two service aces, and a kill. 

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (4-0) return to Rec Hall Saturday at 8 p.m. when they host Texas A&M in the final match of the Penn State Invitational.