No. 2 Penn State women’s volleyball (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) swept No. 12 Creighton (0-1, 0-0 Big East) 3-0 in its first match of the AVCA First Serve on Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In a rematch of last year’s Regional Final that went to five sets, the Nittany Lions got off to a fast start by dominating the first set. The defending champions almost blew an eight-point lead in the second set but managed to win the second set before having to save three set points in the third set to complete the sweep in their season opener.

How It Happened

Penn State rolled out with a starting lineup of Ava Falduto, Gillian Grimes, Jordan Hopp, Emmi Sellman, Kennedy Martin, Izzy Starck, and Maggie Mendelson. The match got underway with Creighton getting the first kill before Sellman’s kill on the next point got the Nittany Lions on the board. Both teams traded blows for the next eight points as neither team managed to pull away. Then, a kill by Caroline Jurevicius on the next point gave Penn State its first lead at 6-5.

On the next point, Ava Martin recorded a kill for the Bluejays to tie the set at six. The Nittany Lions responded with back-to-back points to take a two-point lead, but this lead was short-lived as Ava Martin’s kill and Annalea Maeder’s service ace allowed the Bluejays to tie the set once again. Penn State won two of the next three points before a media timeout occurred, with it holding a 10-9 lead.

Out of the media timeout, Creighton won two of the next three points to tie the set at 11. Kennedy Martin started to show her aggressiveness as she recorded back-to-back kills to give the Nittany Lions a two-point lead. Both teams went back-and-forth for the next 10 points as Penn State’s lead stayed intact. Kennedy Martin continued to be aggressive as she recorded back-to-back kills to extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to four heading into the media timeout.

Penn State extended its lead to five after the media timeout on a block assist by Mendelson and Sellman. The Bluejays won consecutive points to trim their deficit to three, but the Nittany Lions refused to give them any sort of momentum. They responded with consecutive points to take a 23-18 and forced Creighton to take its first timeout.

Creighton got sloppy on the attack after the timeout as Saige Damrow committed an attack error to give Penn State its first set point opportunity. It converted on this opportunity as the Bluejays committed another attack error as the Nittany Lions won the first set 25-18.

Falduto's hustle play leads to set point!

Watch: @FS1 #WeAre pic.twitter.com/TERntFTpMv

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) August 23, 2025

Creighton won the first point in the second set before Penn State went on a 4-0 run to take an early 4-1 lead. Both teams traded blows for the next eight points as the Nittany Lions’ three-point lead stayed intact. After Kennedy Martin’s service error decreased Creighton’s deficit to two, Jurevicius and Starck recorded kills that allowed Penn State to increase its lead to four before a media timeout occurred.

The Nittany Lions seized their momentum after the media timeout as they extended their run to four to take a 12-6 lead. Penn State extended its run to five on an attack error by Ava Martin, but Creighton head coach Brian Rosen challenged the call and was successful, which ended Penn State’s run. This gave some momentum for the Bluejays as they went on to win three of the next four points to trim their deficit to three.

However, Penn State refused to let Creighton seize its momentum and responded with a 6-1 run to extend its lead to eight. This run was highlighted with kills by Mendelson, Sellman, Kennedy Martin, and Jurevicius, along with service aces by Starck and Sellman. Both teams exchanged points as the Nittany Lions held a 20-12 lead heading into the media timeout.

This media timeout paid huge dividends for the Bluejays as they started to show signs of life by winning four consecutive points to decrease their deficit to four. This forced Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley to take her first timeout, hoping for her team to regain its footing. However, this timeout did not pay off as the Bluejays seized their momentum to increase their run to eight, which allowed them to tie the set at 20.

On the next point, Kennedy Martin recorded a huge kill for the Nittany Lions that ended Creighton’s run and allowed them to regain the lead. Penn State won the next point on a service ace by Kennedy Martin to increase its lead to two and forced the Bluejays to take another timeout.

Out of the timeout, both teams traded points before Hopp’s kill gave the Nittany Lions three set-point opportunities. Creighton saved its first set point on a kill by Ava Martin, but Penn State capitalized on its second opportunity with a kill by Sellman that allowed it to win the second set 25-22.

Sellman ends set two!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/qFgX5w7A8w

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) August 23, 2025

Both teams exchanged kills to start off the third set before a 3-0 run gave the Bluejays an early 4-1 lead. After an attack error by Abbey Hayes ended Creighton’s run, it won back-to-back points to increase its lead to four. Both teams traded kills, but Penn State started to show why it is the defending champions as it went on a 5-0 run to take its first lead of the set. This run was highlighted by two service aces by Grimes.

The Nittany Lions’ run came to an end right after as Grimes committed a service error that allowed the Bluejays to tie the set at eight. Penn State won two of the next three points as it took a one-point lead heading into the media timeout.

Creighton tied the set at 10 after the media timeout on a kill by Ava Martin. Both teams exchanged points before Ava Martin’s kill, and a block assist by Kiara Reinhardt and Jaya Johnson gave the Bluejays a 13-11 lead. The Nittany Lions got within one point of tying the set at 14 after winning two of the next three points, but Creighton refused to relinquish and won consecutive points to take a three-point lead.

Both teams traded blows for the next six points before Ava Martin’s kill gave the Bluejays a 20-16 lead heading into the media timeout. Penn State won back-to-back points to get within two before Creighton responded with consecutive points of its own. This forced the Nittany Lions to take a timeout.

This timeout paid off for Penn State as it went on a 3-0 run to cut its deficit to one. This led to a timeout by the Bluejays in hopes of cooling off the Nittany Lions’ momentum. Out of the timeout, Kennedy Martin recorded a huge kill for the Nittany Lions to tie the set at 22. The deadlock was short-lived as Creighton recorded back-to-back kills to give it two set points.

However, it could not capitalize on both opportunities as Starck’s kill and an attack error by Creighton tied the set at 24. Starck committed a service error on the next point that gave the Bluejays a third set point, but a block assist by Mendelson and Kennedy Martin allowed Penn State to save another set point. On the next point, Mendelson and Jurevicius recorded a huge block assist to give the Nittany Lions a set point. Unlike Creighton, Penn State converted on this opportunity as Jurevicius’s kill allowed it to win the third set 27-25 and complete the sweep.

A @CJurevicius kill for a sweep!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/5rGFEjGQ7u

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) August 23, 2025

Takeaways

• What a Penn State debut for Kennedy Martin. The AVCA First-Team All-American transfer out of Florida showed why she is as good as advertised, as she led the team with 14 kills and total attacks with 32. She also had a service ace, two block assists, and was very efficient with a hitting percentage of .344.
• Despite the sweep, the Nittany Lions had to fight hard to win this match. They almost blew an eight-point lead in the second set and had to save three set points in the third set, but once again, they showed their resilience that helped them win a championship last season. They showed today why they are a serious contender to repeat as national champions.
• Creighton’s Ava Martin carried her team on her back despite the loss as she had 19 of the team’s 39 kills. She was the biggest reason why the Bluejays gave the Nittany Lions a run for their money, and this match could’ve been closer if her teammates played a little better today.

What’s Next?

Penn State will play its final match of the AVCA First Serve event when it takes on No. 14 Kansas on Monday, August 25, at 6:30 p.m. It will be broadcast by the Big Ten Network.