No. 4 Penn State women’s volleyball closed out this weekend’s Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge with a sweep over No. 10 Oregon.

Jonni Parker’s season-high 15 kills powered the Nittany Lion offense throughout the 25-21, 29-27, 25-19 victory against the Ducks.

How It Happened

Russ Rose rolled out the usual suspects in his starting lineup, including Jonni Parker, Tori Gorrell, Gabby Blossom, Serena Gray, Allyson Cathey, Kaitlyn Hord, and Kendall White.

Jonni Parker got off to a hot start Saturday night, beginning the first set with a powerful kill. The Casstown, Ohio native finished the set with seven kills on .556 hitting in addition to three digs and a block.

Parker wasn’t the only player to do their fair share on offense, though. Kaitlyn Hord and Allyson Cathey both totaled eight kills, while Serena Gray notched seven. Senior middle blocker Tori Gorrell recorded six kills on .385 hitting.

Now with eight starts under her belt, Gabby Blossom simply hasn’t missed a beat since stepping into a full-time role with the team. The sophomore setter has recorded more than 29 assists in each match this season, including 40 against the Ducks.

Plenty of Nittany Lions chipped in on defense against Oregon. Libero Kendall White led the charge with 12 digs, while Gabby Blossom, Keeton Holcomb, and Jonni Parker recorded 10, eight, and eight, respectively.

“I thought it was a really competitive match against a terrific opponent from a great conference,” head coach Russ Rose said. “The teams in the top conferences are always challenging, and Oregon is a team that last year advanced as far as we did. It was a nice win. We had a great crowd and we’re appreciative of the support we received from the student section and the band.

“We know we have a lot of things we have to get better at,” Rose continued.

Coming off a tough loss to No. 1 Stanford, the Nittany Lions made preventing a losing skid their primary focus against Oregon.

“We can’t let one [loss] become two [losses],” Jonni Parker said after the match. “We could’ve let last night dictate how today went, but we didn’t. We woke up this morning and said ‘it’s a new day, we’ve got to get better’ and used [last night’s loss] as a learning experience. Last night was definitely a more physical match, so today we had to make sure we were mentally sharper.”

Player Of The Match

Jonni Parker | Right Side/Outside Hitter

Sophomore sensation Jonni Parker was just that Saturday night — sensational. She stuffed the stat sheet, recording a season-high 15 kills on .250 hitting, eight digs, and three blocks. Parker also tacked on an ace in the victory.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (6-1) will return to Rec Hall Friday, September 20 to take on No. 6 Pittsburgh in a special THON-themed match. First serve for Penn State’s contest against the Panthers is slated for 8:00 p.m.