No. 8 Penn State women’s volleyball added to its five-match win streak by defeating No. 17 Illinois in five sets Wednesday night at Rec Hall.

Jonni Parker and Serena Gray tallied 17 kills apiece in the thrilling 18-25, 24-26, 25-15, 23-25, 30-28, 15-13 win over the Fighting Illini.

How It Happened

Sophomore defensive specialist Jenna Hampton joined the starting lineup tonight, taking the usual starting role of Keeton Holcomb. She went to work alongside outside hitter Jonni Parker, middle blockers Serena Gray and Kaitlyn Hord, right side Tori Gorrell, setter Gabby Blossom, and libero Kendall White.

The Nittany Lions trailed by as many as five early in the first set before sparking a bit of a comeback and cutting the deficit to 16-14. That’s about as close as they would come to winning the first game, however, as Illinois rediscovered its offensive rhythm and eventually took the set, thanks to an impressive .355 hitting performance.

The Nittany Lions also had a whopping total of six attack errors and two service errors in the opening game, which hurt them when they were in desperate need of gaining some kind of momentum.

Russ Rose’s squad lost the second set 26-24 but managed to turn things around in the third, winning 25-15. The team took the fourth set 30-28 after fending off several lead changes and Illinois match points, before putting the final exclamation point on the match with 15-13 fifth-set win.

Offensively, four Nittany Lions tallied double-digit kill totals. Jonni Parker and Serena Gray pitched in 17 each, while Tori Gorrell and Kaitlyn Hord followed closely with 14 and 11, respectively.

Setter Gabby Blossom dished out a team-high 58 assists, breaking her season-high of 52. She also tacked on 13 digs, good for third-highest on the team.

Three Nittany Lions recorded at least 10 digs in the five-set match. Kendall White led the way with 21, while Jonni Parker racked up 15 and Gabby Blossom tallied 11. Parker’s total broke her season-high mark of 12, which she set against Holy Cross in August.

In his postgame press conference, head coach Russ Rose noted that the match was a solid win over an “impressive Illinois team.” He also stated that the match’s drawn-out, back-and-forth action was typical of Big Ten volleyball.

Player Of The Match

Jonni Parker | Outside Hitter

Jonni Parker was a force to be reckoned with Wednesday night, coming up with some big-time plays when the Nittany Lions needed it the most. Her 17 kills, 15 digs, and four blocks created plenty of havoc for the Fighting Illini.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (15-3, 8-1 Big Ten) will hit the road to take on Maryland in College Park on Saturday, October 26. First serve for the match is set for 7 p.m.