No. 2 Penn State women’s volleyball (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) was upset by No. 13 Arizona State (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) in four sets to kick off the State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions continued their gauntlet of a start to the season, taking the first set with a strong offensive frame, but an error-riddled second set shifted the momentum toward the Sun Devils, who didn’t look back en route to securing a 3-1 upset victory over the defending national champions.

How It Happened

The Sun Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead to begin the first set, but Penn State tied it up after consecutive kills from Caroline Jurevicius. The kills continued to roll for both squads, but Jillian Neal stamped the second ace of the day for Arizona State, pushing them back on top 8-6, but not for long. Penn State went on a 7-3 run on the back of two kills from Emmi Sellman and an ace from Gillian Grimes.

Leading 14-12, the Nittany Lions surrendered back-to-back kills to the Sun Devils, but Sellman continued her hot start to the night, drilling two more kills to fuel a 7-2 run and give Penn State a 21-16 lead. However, Arizona State did not relent, taking four straight points to force a Penn State timeout as the score sat at 21-20. A crucial run-stopping kill out of the timeout from Jurevicius got Penn State headed in the right direction once again. Kennedy Martin joined in on the terminating with a pair of kills to push Penn State to set-point, where a brilliant dig by Grimes set up Jurevicius for her fifth kill of the night, ending the first set 25-21 in favor of the blue and white.

A solid set point from @PennStateVBALL

The Nittany Lions take the first set. pic.twitter.com/psiJw7KXCz

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) August 31, 2025

First blood once again was drawn by the Sun Devils to begin the second set, but this time around, they pushed the trident deeper, taking a 6-2 lead thanks to a strong two-way performance from Noemie Glover, who recorded three kills and three block assists early in the second set. The relentless Nittany Lions went to work, conjuring up a 6-1 scoring run to take a 7-6 lead after a back-row blast from Martin.

Neither defense was finding success in stopping the opposing hitters, as the game sat knotted up at 11-11. Martin landed awkwardly on her left ankle during a block attempt, but remained in the game. Finally, Penn State’s defensive adjustments kicked in, rejecting back-to-back Sun Devil hits to take a 15-13 lead and force an opposing timeout. Out of the break, the teams traded service errors, maintaining the two-point gap at 16-14.

Arizona State tied it up at 20-20 after winning a long-winded rally that lasted over a minute. The next four of the six points went to the Sun Devils, putting them at set-point, prompting Katie Schumacher-Cawley to take her final timeout. A Sun Devil service error gave Penn State hope for a comeback, but the red-hot Glover secured the second set for her squad 25-23.

On the first play of the third set, Martin offered a bad set, forcing Penn State out of structure and surrendering a 1-0 lead. Both squads ran into a brick wall of early serving struggles, as Martin surrendered the fifth service error of the set, making it an 8-7 ballgame. After a sideline interference took away a kill from Martin, she and Izzy Stark manufactured a perfect “ball don’t lie” moment, as they immediately combined for a gorgeous kill that tied the game at 9-9.

The Sun Devils, however, put their foot on the gas, taking the next six points to go up 15-9. The Nittany Lions responded with a 5-1 run featuring a pair of kills each from Sellman and Maggie Mendelson.

The struggles from the service line continued, as Arizona State gift-wrapped two points to the blue and white in as many serves. The Sun Devils reached the 20-point mark after a block from Glover and Ella Lomigora, prompting Penn State to take a timeout. A ferocious block from Jordan Hopp cut the deficit to 20-18 and sent Arizona State into a timeout. The break proved to be effective for Arizona State, as they went on a 5-2 run to take the third set 25-20.

Finally, the Nittany Lions took the first point of a set after three straight service errors to begin the frame. The trading of points continued, as the ninth tie of the set was broken by a Martin attack error to put Arizona State back on top at 10-9. A perfect out-of-structure set by Grimes set Martin up for a blazing kill that forced a reeling Arizona State to call a timeout as they trailed 16-15. The leading killers of the game, Martin and Glover, continued to trade punches for their squads, but the Sun Devils crept out to a 20-18 lead, sending Penn State scrambling for answers.

Can we get a speed check here for Kennedy Martin?

: FOX pic.twitter.com/bxZFGBk9ol

— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) August 31, 2025

Martin plastered a kill out of the break, her 20th of the night, to spark a critical 4-0 scoring run that prompted Arizona State to take its final timeout of the night. The momentum completely swung in favor of the blue and white as they led 22-20. After a controversial call didn’t go its way, Penn State didn’t blink, responding with a crucial kill to take a 23-22 lead, but a back-breaking service error from Jocelyn Nathan knotted it back up and flipped possession back toward the Sun Devils.

Kills from Glover and Lomigora put Arizona State at match point, but Martin delivered another crucial kill to tie it at 25-25. Both squads continued to trade kills back and forth, as the anticipation reached a new height after each play. The Sun Devils broke us into the 30s with a kill from the scorching Glover, and then an attack error from Jurevicius sealed the 31-29 fourth set marathon.

Takeaways

• The outside hitters for Penn State did a remarkable job in the first set of defeating Arizona State’s double block game plan by tooling the block using high hands and targeting the seams. Jurevicius recorded five kills in the set, with Martin and Sellman right behind her with four each. However, the production for Jurevicius and Spellman declined throughout the rest of the match, as they combined for just seven kills and 12 errors over the final three sets.
• Penn State registered 27 attack errors and 17 service errors on the day. Using the term “shot yourself in the foot” is an accurate one to describe the upset.

What’s Next?

Penn State wraps up the State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase against TCU on Monday, September 1, at 5 p.m. The match will be nationally televised by FOX.