No. 15 Penn State women’s volleyball (9-3, Big Ten 3-0) took down Illinois (6-7, Big Ten 1-2) Friday night in Champaign.

The Nittany Lions have gone 9-0 in their last nine sets to extend their conference win streak to three.

Penn State amplified its intensity the entire match and showed what it truly means to play Big Ten volleyball. Camryn Hannah, Alexa Markley, and Jess Mruzik also showed out on the court to reach double-digit kills.

How It Happened

The game started off with the Nittany Lions on top 3-0. Illinois attempted to inch back in the beginning, but the score remained in Penn State’s favor 6-4. Both teams continued to grind, and it eventually paid off for the Illini when it tied Penn State 10-10.

Despite the surge for Illinois, Penn State pulled away 14-11 before Illinois called its first timeout. The timeout didn’t help the Illini, and Penn State went on a 5-0 run with a massive kill from Allie Holland.

Podraza finds the line for a kill!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/QJVhFq0np1

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 30, 2023

The 19-12 gap quickly diminished for the Nittany Lions when Illinois had a 3-0 scoring run of its own, which made Penn State take its first timeout. Penn State came out and scored to be the first to 20, and continued its lead 22-18.

The Nittany Lions were first to set point and Penn State finished on top 25-22.

Set two saw a 5-2 lead for Penn State, but a few massive blocks from Illinois kept it close 7-6. The score tied again 9-9, but another 4-0 scoring run was on the horizon for Penn State to up the score to 13-9.

The back-and-forth contest continued, and Illinois rallied to come within two at 19-17. Penn State was once again the first to reach 20. The Nittany Lions then finished off set two 25-20.

The final set had Illinois begin on top 3-1. The Nittany Lions rallied to overtake the Illini 7-6. A second wind hit the Nittany Lions in the third set as it went up by five at 14-9. By this point, Hannah and Mruzik combined for 21 kills.

Penn State also earned its biggest lead of the game 23-16, and ultimately finished the game 25-20.

Player Of The Game | Camryn Hannah

Transfer Camryn Hannah was a stud once again with 12 kills and a .250 hitting percentage. Her hard swing ended the second set with a massive kill and brought a dominating presence to the court.

That's four kills for @CamrynHannah!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/zZdXya2zmV

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 30, 2023

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay on the road and battle No. 13 Minnesota at 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, in Minneapolis. The match can be streamed on the Big Ten Network.