No. 9 Penn State women’s volleyball (1-0) made easy work of Illinois (2-3) in its season opener Friday night at Rec Hall.

Freshman outside hitter Annie Cate Fitzpatrick led the Nittany Lions with 13 kills. She, alongside a handful of youthful prospects, gave shorthanded Penn State a spark to get off on the right foot.

How It Happened

Four players — setter Emily Oerther, outside hitters Fitzpatrick and Anastasiya Kudryashova, and defensive specialist Maddy Bilinovic — picked up their first-ever starts for Penn State Friday night. Five Nittany Lions, including typical starters like Gabby Blossom and Jenna Hampton, were unavailable for the contest.

Penn State got going early thanks to three straight kills from Oerther, Kaitlyn Hord, and Kudryashova. Following a few timely Illinois hitting errors, a combined block from Jonni Parker and Serena Gray, and an ace from Oerther, Penn State took a 10-2 lead into the match’s first timeout.

The Illini embarked on a 5-0 scoring run before a hitting error cut Penn State a break. Sharp hitting from Hord, Parker, and Fitzpatrick helped Penn State hold on. The Nittany Lions wound up taking a 21-17 lead into the match’s second timeout.

Later, a string of Illinois hitting errors brought up set point for Penn State, 24-20. Another ill-aimed swing from the Illini gave the Nittany Lions the first set, 25-20.

Sloppy play dominated the match’s second set. Illinois hit .600 overall in the frame to win 25-17. Penn State dug itself into a hole early on and simply couldn’t generate enough momentum to shift the tide.

The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, hit a measly .160 in the second set and committed six hitting errors. Self-inflicted wounds didn’t do Penn State any favors as it tried to retake a lead over Illinois.

Penn State responded well in the third set by hitting .542 as a team en route to a 25-20 win. First-time starters like Oerther and Fitzpatrick provided the short-handed Nittany Lions a clear spark right out of the gate.

Most importantly, the Nittany Lions limited self-imposed wounds. Penn State had just one hitting error in the third frame, compared to four and six, respectively, in the first two sets.

Despite struggling to kick the rust off at times, Penn State did just enough in the fourth set to edge out a win over the Illini. The Nittany Lions hit .366 in the frame, racked up 18 kills, and committed just three hitting errors to close out the match.

A strong presence at the net likely gave Penn State the edge in this one. Hord, Parker, and Gray were constantly crashing the floor and stuffing the Illini to keep their attack at bay. By the match’s end, the trio combined for 13 total blocks and 24 kills.

Following No. 9 @PennStateVBALL's 3-1 win over Illinois, head coach Russ Rose has crossed 1,300 victories — the most in NCAA Division I history. pic.twitter.com/ZYKPBjAXPG

— Onward State (@OnwardState) February 6, 2021

Penn State’s victory over the Illini provided head coach Russ Rose with his 1,300th win — the most among head coaches in NCAA Division I history. Naturally, the traditionally humble figure didn’t think much of it.

“I didn’t think about it during the day, and I’m not thinking about it now,” Rose said after the match. “I’m pleased that we won, but it’s just a match.”

Penn State is 36-6 in season-opening matches under Rose’s leadership. The Nittany Lions have won nine straight matchups to open the season dating back to a loss to Oregon in 2011.

Player Of The Match

Annie Cate Fitzpatrick | Outside Hitter

Boy, did the freshman standout show off in her first-ever start (and match at Penn State, for that matter!). Fitzpatrick led the team with 13 kills, hit .308, and totaled nine digs in an impressive first showing.

Following the match, Parker said she wasn’t surprised by the standout first-year hitter’s performance.

“Coming in as a freshman, I thought she did well on the floor and showed what she could do well,” Parker said. “She mixed it up with her shots on the floor, stayed aggressive with her swings, and was all over the place in the back row trying to make some plays. I was really proud of what she did tonight.”

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will host the Illini yet again Saturday night to wrap up a two-match series. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. on BTN+.