No. 14 Penn State women’s volleyball continued its hot start to Big Ten play Saturday night when it defeated Indiana 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22) on the road.

A dominant night at the net complete with nearly two dozen total blocks propelled the Nittany Lions (11-3, 4-0 Big Ten) to a win over the 7-9 Hoosiers.

How It Happened

Penn State got off to a slow start in the first frame. Although the Nittany Lions once led 17-13 midway through the game, the Hoosiers rallied back to tie things up 18-18. Outside hitter Anastasiya Kudryashova tied the set 23-23 before right-side hitter Jonni Parker posted back-to-back kills to win the set 26-24.

S1 | #PSUVB 26, Indiana 24

Had to sweat it out but Jonni puts an end to set one. #WeAre
pic.twitter.com/7temjE5K9i

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 2, 2021

Indiana dominated the second set from just about start to finish. The Hoosiers hit .300 as a team and posted 17 kills to capture a 25-20 set-two-victory. Although Penn State tied Indiana twice, the Nittany Lions never led in the second frame.

Penn State looked rejuvenated once the third game began, though. Penn State hit just .077 in set three but posted 11 kills and a whopping seven blocks. Defensively, the Nittany Lions kept Indiana on its toes with 20 digs and held the Hoosiers to a -.077 hitting clip en route to a dominant 25-16 win in set three.

The Nittany Lions looked their best in the fourth frame. Penn State hit .350 as a team and fired off 18 kills to put Indiana away. Tied with Indiana 22-22, Penn State rattled off a 3-0 scoring run to win the match on a massive kill from Parker.

As always, Parker dominated the match for Penn State. The senior from Ohio posted her second straight double-double with 19 kills and 11 digs. She joined Jenna Hampton (23), Cassie Kuerschen (11), and Adanna Rollins (10) in compiling double-digit digs throughout the match.

Penn State’s win largely came thanks to a strong presence at the net. Sophomore middle blocker Allie Holland impressed yet again by posting 10 kills on .333 hitting, four service aces, and five total blocks. Next to her, middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord contributed seven kills on .455 hitting and six total blocks.

Senior setter Gabby Blossom kept Penn State’s offense chugging all night long. She dished out a match-high 45 assists and contributed seven digs.

Player Of The Match

Jonni Parker | Right-Side Hitter

It’s hard to ask for more from Penn State’s superstar senior. Parker posted a match-high 19 kills on .283 hitting Saturday night to power the Nittany Lions’ win. She hit just one error and added on three blocks and 11 digs.

What’s Next?

Penn State will finally return home on Friday, October 8, for a matchup with No. 12 Nebraska. First serve from Rec Hall is set for 8 p.m.