No. 8 Penn State women’s volleyball (2-2) fell to No. 5 Minnesota (8-0) for the second time this weekend Sunday night. The Nittany Lions lost 3-2 (19-25, 25-26, 25-17, 15-25, 10-15) despite winning the second and third sets.

Freshman outside hitter Taylor Landfair led the Golden Gophers with 22 kills to continue Minnesota’s undefeated record.

How It Happened

Penn State stayed close behind Minnesota before letting the Golden Gophers take a steady lead with a 4-0 scoring run. The Nittany Lions struggled to close the gap to less than four points due to a combination of defensive and hitting errors.

Penn State tried to hold on, but Minnesota’s dominance at the service line proved to be too much for the Nittany Lions. The Golden Gophers took the set 25-19 following a kill by Samedy.

The Nittany Lions shifted gears at the start of the second set by going on a 3-0 scoring run with Minnesota trailing by a few points. Back-to-back kills from junior opposite hitter Jonni Parker and freshman outside hitter Annie Cate Fitzpatrick helped Penn State gain a five-point lead and a 7-0 scoring run ahead of the Golden Gophers.

Blocking and kills by junior middle hitters Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray were the key in the Nittany Lions’ second set-win. Penn State swept Minnesota 25-16 thanks to another 3-0 scoring run.

Unlike the first two sets, both Penn State and Minnesota battled back and forth on each point, tying the game four times at the start of the set. Despite scoring runs by each team, the gap between both teams never reached more than two points until the Nittany Lions took the lead 16-12 on a 5-0 scoring run.

Penn State dominated Minnesota in set three with a 25-17 win, closing the set on a block from redshirt sophomore outside hitter Anastasiya Kudryashova and Hord. The Nittany Lions pulled ahead to a 2-1 lead.

Minnesota came back hot to an 8-2 lead at the start of the fourth set. A kill by Parker ended the Gophers’ 5-0 run. However, kills by Samedy and Adanna Rollins plus an ace by Samedy sustained Minnesota’s 12-6 lead.

The Golden Gophers held an eight-point lead at 16-8 thanks to a kill and block by Taylor Landfair. Penn State still couldn’t catch Minnesota after Samedy had back-to-back kills to give the Golden Gophers a 19-11 lead.

Poor execution plagued Penn State again in its second match against Minnesota this weekend. Minnesota won the fourth set 25-15 to tie the match at 2-2. Unsurprisingly, Samedy closed the set with a kill.

Penn State and Minnesota fought back and forth to take the lead in the fifth and final set. Despite the constant ties, Hord earned a double-double with blocks and kills at 10 apiece early in the fifth set.

Kait has a double-double with kills and BLOCKS

10 kills, 10 blocks#WeAre pic.twitter.com/6AbXMPc0gs

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) February 15, 2021

Minnesota held a 10-7 lead late in the fifth set. More execution errors made matters worse for Penn State. Minnesota won the final set 15-10 and the match, 3-2.

Parker led the Nittany Lions with 21 kills and a .291 hitting percentage for the match, while Hord finished with 12 kills, 10 blocks, and a .310 hitting percentage. Junior setter Gabby Blossom dished out 50 assists on the night.

Player Of The Match

Taylor Landfair | Outside Hitter

Landfair finished the night with a career-high 22 kills on .340 hitting on Sunday night. She was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the country before arriving in Minnesota this past fall.

What’s Next?

Penn State will finally face Ohio State on Wednesday, February 17, in Columbus. First serve is set for 5 p.m.