No. 15 Penn State women’s volleyball (19-7, 12-4 Big Ten) wrapped up a weekend road trip with a convincing win over Michigan State (11-14, 4-12 Big Ten) Saturday night in East Lansing.

Outside hitter Adanna Rollins crossed two career milestones — 1,000 digs and 1,000 kills — thanks to an impressive performance against the Spartans. She led all players with 16 kills and 19 points in the 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 26-24, 25-13) win.

How It Happened

Michigan State and Penn State kept things close to open the first frame. The Nittany Lions used a 6-1 scoring run to expand on a narrow 9-8 lead and go up 15-9. From there on out, Penn State cruised to a 25-17 win. A massive kill from middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord — who posted six kills on six swings (a 1.000 hitting clip!) in set one — iced the frame for the Nittany Lions.

The Spartans battled back to open set two, jumping out to a quick 3-1 lead thanks to two kills and a Penn State attack error. Michigan State didn’t let up on that lead through the rest of the set, though, and powered its way to a 25-21 win to tie the match 1-1. The Spartans hit just .189 in the frame, but a whopping 10 attack errors from Penn State gave Michigan State all the momentum it needed to claim set two.

Strong performances from the service line boosted Penn State in set three. The Nittany Lions consistently applied pressure from the line, namely through three aces, to keep Michigan State behind. Libero Jenna Hampton gave Penn State the 26-24 win through an ace of her own, putting the Nittany Lions up 2-1 in the match.

ACE! @jennahamptonn puts Penn State up 2-1 in the match.#WeAre
pic.twitter.com/brXt4EvySo

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) November 14, 2021

Penn State came into the fourth set with a head full of steam in an effort to wrap up this match. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 7-1 lead and maintained momentum with strong play across the board. A kill from outside hitter Erika Pritchard brought up match point, and a Michigan State attack error provided Penn State with the win. By claiming set four 25-13, the Nittany Lions ended their weekend with a 3-1 win.

Rollins (16), Hord (14), right-side hitter Jonni Parker (10), and middle blocker Allie Holland each reached double-digit kills in the match. Hord’s .500 hitting clip and five blocks led the team, too.

Setter Gabby Blossom dished out 53 assists to keep Penn State’s offense running. She and Hampton both led the team with 18 digs apiece.

Following the win over Michigan State, the Nittany Lions’ senior class remains undefeated (7-0) against the Spartans. Penn State has now won 15 straight matches over the Spartans dating back to 2013. The Nittany Lions lead the two teams’ all-time series 52-7.

Player Of The Match

Adanna Rollins | Outside Hitter

Rollins, who transferred to Penn State from Minnesota this summer, entered Saturday night’s match with 999 career kills and digs under her belt. Thanks to a match-high 16 kills, plus, 10 digs, she cracked 1,000 career kills and digs.

Against the Spartans, Rollins also contributed two blocks, two service aces, and an assist. She led the team with 19 points on the night.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take a few days to rest up before heading out to Nebraska for a highly anticipated matchup with the No. 11 Cornhuskers. First serve from Lincoln is set for 9 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.