No. 8 Penn State women’s volleyball won a match in three sets for the first time this season in its second matchup against Indiana Saturday night. The Nittany Lions won in three sets (25-15, 25-21, 25-22) at Rec Hall.

Junior opposite hitter Jonni Parker played another impressive game against Indiana and led the Nittany Lions again with 17 kills on the night.

How It Happened

Back-to-back service aces from junior opposite hitter Jonni Parker helped Penn State take a 7-3 lead in the first set on a 4-0 scoring run. Strong serving by junior setter Gabby Blossom and three kills by redshirt sophomore outside hitter Anastasiya Kudryashova propelled the Nittany Lions’ lead to 14-8.

Defensive struggles hurt Indiana’s chances of having a shot at catching Penn State’s lead. Penn State had an impressive .412 hitting percentage in the first set, giving them the win at 25-15.

Kills by Parker and freshman Allie Holland brought the Nittany Lions to a 5-2 lead before a kill by Indiana’s Tommi Stockham and a block by Morgan Geddes allowed the Hoosiers to battle back and give Indiana a 6-5 lead.

Two consecutive hitting errors by Indiana’s Leyla Blackwell and Stockham helped Penn State tie the second set at 14-14. After tying four more times, the Nittany Lions finally regained the lead at 22-19. Although it cut it close, Penn State won the second set 25-21 on a kill by freshman outside hitter Annie Cate Fitzpatrick.

Indiana and Penn State tied the third set six times at the start at 3-3, 6-6, 8-8, 9-9. 10-10 and 11-11. A kill and block by Gray allowed Penn State to take a small lead at 13-11.

The Hoosiers remained close, though, due to plenty of service errors from Penn State’s end. A kill by Stockham and an attack error by Parker allowed Indiana to close the gap to tie the third set at 18-18.

Despite cutting it close again, the Nittany Lions were able to win the match in three sets on a kill by Jonni Parker to close set three 25-22.

Along with Parker, Kudryashova finished the night with 14 kills and a stellar .444 hitting percentage, while Fitzpatrick had 10 kills overall on a .421 hitting percentage. Blossom had 32 assists in the three-set match.

Player Of The Match

Jonni Parker | Opposite Hitter

Parker had yet another impressive match against Indiana, finishing the night with 17 kills on .314 hitting.

What’s Next?

Penn State won’t have a match until Saturday, February 27, against Maryland. First serve is set for 5 p.m in College Park.