No. 8 Penn State women’s volleyball defeated Michigan 3-1 Friday night in Ann Arbor.

Kaitlyn Hord recorded a team-high 16 kills in the 25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22 victory over the Wolverines.

How It Happened

Russ Rose’s starters included outside hitter Jonni Parker, right side Tori Gorrell, middle blockers Serena Gray and Kaitlyn Hord, setter Gabby Blossom, defensive specialist Keeton Holcomb, and libero Kendall White.

The Nittany Lions began Friday night’s match strong. Three players (Gorrell, Parker, and Hord) recorded four kills in the opening set, while Gabby Blossom dished out 14 assists. Serena Gray totaled four attack errors in the set — an especially out-of-character showing for the young middle blocker.

Penn State’s fortunes continued in the ensuing set, which the team took 25-20. Michigan gathered some strength and responded to the Nittany Lions’ success by taking the third set 25-16. The Nittany Lions eventually stormed back to definitively take the fourth game 25-21.

Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker led the team offensively, notching 16 and 15 in the match, respectively. The duo also combined for seven total blocks and three service aces.

On the other side of the ball, Kendall White and Keeton Holcomb totaled 21 and 12 digs, respectively. White now needs just 221 more digs to become Penn State’s all-time digs leader.

Setter Gabby Blossom dished out 50 assists in the win against the Spartans, falling just two short of her season-high of 52, which she logged against Stanford back in September.

Player Of The Match

Kaitlyn Hord | Middle Blocker

Hord was exceptional Friday night, recording 16 kills on .419 hitting and six total blocks. She accounted for 19.5 of Penn State’s points in the match.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (13-3, 6-1 Big Ten) will continue their two-game road trip this weekend when they travel to East Lansing to play Michigan State on Sunday, October 20. First serve is set for 2 p.m.