No. 15 Penn State women’s volleyball (16-7, 9-4 Big Ten) continued its lengthy homestand by defeating Michigan (13-9, 6-7 Big Ten) Friday night at Rec Hall.

Outside hitter Adanna Rollins powered Penn State to the 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22,25-23) win over the Wolverines. She led all hitters with 21 kills on .400 hitting.

How It Happened

Penn State simply never found its rhythm in set one. Despite taking the set’s first point, the Nittany Lions relinquished that advantage and never led again throughout the entire frame, although Penn State did tie the Wolverines six times. Michigan hit .302 en route to a 25-22 win.

The Nittany Lions finally found success in set two. Although they trailed Michigan for the first half of the frame, a 4-0 scoring run gave Penn State a 16-15 lead. From there on, the team never let up, forcing Michigan to burn a timeout down 21-18. A net violation called on the Wolverines gave Penn State a 25-22 win in set two — ironically, a mirrored outcome of the first frame.

Continuing Friday night’s trend, the third frame remained a closely contested affair. Michigan quickly jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but Penn State always remained in striking distance. Halfway through the set, the Nittany Lions found themselves up 13-12 and bullied their way to a win, punctuated by a monster block from Jonni Parker and Kaitlyn Hord. Parker fired off another kill to ice the 25-22 set three win.

Although set four began with some close-quarters combat, Penn State separated from Michigan with a 4-0 run and, four points later, another 3-0 run, eventually leading the Wolverines 14-9 midway through the frame. Michigan fought back, though, and tied things up 21-21. Freshman Anjelina Starck delivered the win with a kill, claiming a 25-23 set four win for Penn State.

Both Jonni Parker and Kaitlyn Hord racked up 14 kills in the match. Setter Gabby Blossom dished out 54 assists, while libero Jenna Hampton led the team with 26 digs.

Penn State is now 53-5 all-time against Michigan dating back to 1981. The Nittany Lions’ seniors remained undefeated (4-0) when playing the Wolverines in their career.

Player Of The Match

Adanna Rollins | Outside Hitter

Simply put, Rollins was the engine that kept Penn State running all night long. She led all players with a season-high 21 kills on .400 hitting and stuffed the stat sheet with 10 digs, two assists, an ace, and a block.

What’s Next?

Penn State will wrap up its homestand by facing Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 6. The match will double as the Nittany Lions’ second-ever “Silent Set” in support of hearing-impaired communities.