No 14 Penn State women’s volleyball (14-5, 7-2 in the Big Ten) swept No. 12 Minnesota in three sets (25-18, 27-25, 25-22) Friday night. It was the Nittany Lions’ second sweep over a ranked Big Ten opponent this season.

Senior middle hitter Kaitlyn Hord led the Nittany Lions to an impressive victory with 15 kills and a .444 hitting percentage on the night. Fellow teammates Jonni Parker, Allie Holland, and Adanna Rollins also had huge nights and combined for 39 kills.

How It Happened

Penn State started off the first set hot with a 5-2 lead on back-to-back kills from senior opposite hitter Jonni Parker. The Nittany Lions’ strong hitting game continued with kills from senior middle hitter Kaitlyn Hord and senior outside hitter Adanna Rollins to bring their lead to 13-6.

The Nittany Lions went on a 3-0 scoring run on kills from sophomore middle hitter Allie Holland and freshman outside hitter Anjelina Starck, quickly giving them a 19-10 lead towards the end of the first set. Senior setter Gabby Blossom and Parker bumped up Penn State’s lead to 22-15. Ultimately, the Golden Gophers couldn’t catch Penn State. The Nittany Lions won the first set 25-18 on a kill from Hord.

Despite slumping through the first set, Minnesota took a 3-0 lead early in the second set. Soon after, the Golden Gophers earned an 8-2 lead thanks to strong hitting from Stephanie Samedy and Jenna Wenaas.

An ace from Starck brought the score to 17-14, putting Penn State within three points of the Golden Gophers. After tying the set at 24-24, Penn State battled back to take the second set win at 27-25 on a 3-0 scoring run from Rollins, who transferred from Minnesota over the offseason.

Three. Straight. Kills. To win the set!@AdannaRollins understood the assignment. #WeAre
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— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 23, 2021

The beginning of the third set was a back-and-forth battle between Penn State and Minnesota. After tying the set eight times, the Nittany Lions finally took the lead at 10-8 on back-to-back kills from Parker.

A kill from Starck took the Nittany Lions on a 4-0 scoring run, bringing their lead to 11-8 halfway through the third set. An ace from Quinn Menger brought Penn State’s lead to 15-10.

The Golden Gophers took the lead at 18-16 before Penn State regained the lead at 22-20 on a kill from Holland. The Nittany Lions closed out the match with a 25-22 win on a sneaky kill from Blossom.

Parker finished with 16 kills on the night, while Holland finished with 12 a .550 hitting average. Blossom posted a double-double with 44 assists and 14 digs.

Player Of The Game

Kaitlyn Hord | Middle Blocker

Hord finished the match with 15 kills and an impressive .444 hitting percentage to give the Nittany Lions the lead over the Golden Gophers.

What’s Next?

Penn State will face No. 3 Wisconsin in Madison at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 23.