No. 9 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Maryland 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-16) Friday night at Rec Hall.

Freshman right side Jonni Parker led the Nittany Lions with 11 kills in their long-awaited return home.

How It Happened

After nine straight road matches, the Nittany Lions were clearly energized by the sizable Rec Hall crowd. Penn State got out to an early lead over the Terrapins in the first set and didn’t look back.

Head coach Russ Rose was able to give Parker and starting setter Bryanna Weiskircher a break midway through the second set when freshmen Amanda Phegley and Gabby Blossom entered the match. Phegley tallied her first collegiate kill during the stretch, while Weiskircher had a match-high 30 assists.

Kendall White and Jenna Hampton made some tremendous defensive plays Friday night, combing for 18 digs against the Terrapins. Penn State outblocked Maryland 12-6 on the way to its third Big Ten win of the season.

Taylor Leath turned in another balanced match for the Nittany Lions with eight kills and 12 digs. Serena Gray, Allyson Cathey, Nia Reed, Kaitlyn Hord, and Tori Gorrell combined for 20 more kills to round out the scoring.

“We had good passing off the bench,” Rose said. “I thought Jenna came in and did a great job passing. I thought Jonni had a real nice night offensively. Taylor did a good job with serve reception.”

Player of the Match

Jonni Parker | Right side

The Casstown, Ohio native finished with a match-high 11 kills (.524), seven digs, three blocks, a service ace, and an assist.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (12-3) return to Rec Hall Saturday at 7 p.m. when they host Ohio State. The Buckeyes won 3-1 earlier this season in Columbus.