Penn State women’s volleyball fell short to No. 1 Stanford 3-1 to kick off the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge Friday night at Rec Hall. This marks the first loss of the season for Russ Rose’s squad.

Despite an impressive effort, which included solid performances by Kaitlyn Hord, Jonni Parker, and Tori Gorrell, the Nittany Lions were unable to find a groove in the 29-27, 23-25, 23-25, 21-25 loss.

How It Happened

After a long back-and-forth battle in the first set, the Nittany Lions managed to come out on top 29-27. Jonni Parker led the charge with six kills, while Kaitlyn Hord and Allyson Cathey contributed five and four, respectively.

The momentum didn’t last very long, however. Penn State fell behind early in the second set, trailing by as many as 10 points. An emphatic kill by Kaitlyn Hord sparked a bit of a comeback, and the Nittany Lions were eventually able to cut the deficit to one. Ultimately, Stanford held on to the lead and took the second set 25-23. The Cardinal would go on to take the third set by the exact same score, and the fourth set 25-21.

In spite of the loss, several Nittany Lions showed flashes of talent and promise. Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord notched a total of 16 kills on .517 hitting and led the team with six blocks. Gabby Blossom set a new career-high in assists, racking up 52 against the Cardinal. Her previous record was 41.

On the defensive side of the ball, standout libero Kendall White tallied a season-high 22 digs. Jenna Hampton and Gabby Blossom also reached the double-digit mark, recording 11 and 10 digs, respectively.

“I thought it was a terrific crowd,” head coach Russ Rose said following the match. “Stanford is a terrific team with veteran players. I’m disappointed in a lot of things, but I’m not going to kill myself over it. There were enough good things that I see some things that were good, but I also realize there are a number of things I’m not going to be able to fix anyways.”

“It’s great to know that even though we didn’t win tonight, there is a lot of fight in this team,” White said. “It’s good to know that we have that fight in us.”

Player Of The Match

Kathryn Plummer|Outside Hitter

Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer went to work at Rec Hall on Friday night, racking up a total of 18 kills, nine digs, and a block to oust the Nittany Lions on their home court.

What’s Next?

Penn State (5-1) will be back in action at Rec Hall Saturday night in yet another highly anticipated matchup against No. 10 Oregon. First serve is set for 8 p.m.