No. 13 Penn State women’s volleyball (5-4, 0-0 Big Ten) rallied back from a 2-1 set deficit to defeat Princeton (4-3, 0-0 Ivy League) in five sets in the first game of the Penn State Classic at Rec Hall.

The Nittany Lions dominated the first set, winning 25-15, but struggled over the next two, dropping both of them 25-20. However, behind a dominant performance by Kennedy Martin, they took the last two sets by scores of 25-16 and 15-8 en route to a gritty comeback victory at home.

How It Happened

Penn State rolled out with a starting lineup of Jordan Hopp, Addie Lyon, Emmi Sellman, Kennedy Martin, Alexis Ewing, Maggie Mendelson, and Gillian Grimes. The match got off on the wrong foot with an immediate service error by Lyon and subsequent reception error that gave Princeton an early 2-0 lead. The early sloppiness subsided into a 7-2 run for the Nittany Lions, capped off by a nifty kill by Lyon that saw her tap the ball over the net for a point.

Penn State went up 10-5 before a quick three points for Princeton cut into the lead, but great team defense and powerful spikes by Ewing and Mendelson opened up a 15-9 lead into the first break of the match. The offensive onslaught continued after, with Lyon picking up her first ace of the match to open up an eight-point lead. Lyon did it again two points later to go up double digits and force a Princeton timeout at 19-9.

After Princeton took the first two points after the timeout, the Nittany Lions responded with a lengthy rally that included several blocks, ending with a kill by Martin. Princeton committed a pair of service errors and Penn State didn’t take its foot off the gas, ending the set on the second set point off an attack error by Erin McNair to win the first set, 25-15. Hopp, Sellman, and Martin all tied for the team lead with four kills.

The second set started with both teams going back and forth. A quick two points for Penn State started it, but Princeton turned the tide with three straight, with help from a challenge. Penn State got another three in a row, but Princeton countered with two to tie it at five. The two teams continued to exchange the lead until Princeton was able to maintain a small lead for a while, but never able to get it larger than two. The Nittany Lions finally evened it up on a block by Caroline Jurevicius at 13, but Princeton got the next two to head into the timeout with the lead, 15-13.

After the break, the Tigers were able to open up their largest lead of the set, pulling away to a 19-15 lead before coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley had seen enough, calling her first timeout. Penn State came out of the timeout with two quick points, but a critical service error by Lyon stunted the potential run.

Every time Penn State cut the deficit to two, Princeton responded. Ultimately, Princeton played extremely well in the second set after being dominated in the first, taking the second set 25-20 after an ace by Sydney Bold bounced off the top of the net and over.

The third set started like the first for Penn State, falling behind 2-0 before a service error by Bold got them on the board. Princeton’s strong start continued after that, opening up a four-point advantage. The Nittany Lions started to get sloppy while trailing, costing themselves with another service error and a net violation. Princeton went up 11-6, forcing a timeout by Penn State.

A couple of kills by Ewing out of the timeout helped close the deficit, but the Tigers continued to respond. Finally, the Nittany Lions put some pressure on with a 3-0 run, capped by a Mendelson kill, to force a Princeton timeout, with the visitors holding a 15-14 edge.

Princeton won the first two points after their timeout and would reopen a four-point lead. Mendelson’s strong kills helped Penn State stay in it, but another response by Princeton put them up 21-17, forcing a second timeout from Schumacher-Cawley.

As usual, every time Penn State got within two, Princeton responded. A service error by Martin stunted a rally and, while the Nittany Lions staved off the first two set points, Princeton would take the third set, 25-22, on a kill by Erin McNair.

With some extra urgency after two rough sets, Penn State started off the fourth set better, but wasn’t able to open up a lead as Princeton played confidently. The two teams exchanged points early, before back-to-back kills by Martin opened up a 10-8 lead for the Nittany Lions.

Martin was dominating the set, as her teammates kept setting her up to overpower the Princeton defense. Her 20th kill of the match opened up a 13-10 lead and forced a timeout. The roles were reversed from the last set, as every time Princeton tried to get back into it, Penn State had an answer. A few kills by Hopp and a booming one by Mendelson forced another Princeton timeout with a 20-14 Penn State lead.

After the timeout, Penn State kept its foot on the gas, with another Martin kill, an Ewing block, and a hitting error on Princeton opening the lead to eight. In a set that looked much more like the first one, the Nittany Lions closed on a 7-2 run to force a fifth set, 25-16.

The critical fifth set opened with an early Princeton lead, but back-to-back mistakes by the visiting Tigers flipped the score. Both teams had service errors in the early going and went back and forth. Neither team saw a two-point advantage in the first half of the set, with a huge kill by Martin getting the Nittany Lions an 8-7 lead.

After both teams switched sides, Penn State took control. Back-to-back aces by Ava Falduto opened up a 10-7 lead that forced a timeout. A 12-7 advantage forced a second timeout shortly after, as the reigning national champions took complete control, overwhelming the visitors after a valiant effort.

The timeouts weren’t helping. A dominant 7-0 run set up match point for the Nittany Lions, who finished off the Tigers on a service error by Princeton’s Valerie Nutakor, winning the fifth set, 15-8.

Takeaways

• Kennedy Martin was an absolute monster. 27 kills to just five errors. A blistering 57.4 kill percentage. When her teammates set her up, there was nothing Princeton could do.
• Penn State looked sloppy in the middle two sets, making multiple unforced errors, and their mettle was tested. The way they responded was a great sign going forward.
• After trailing two sets to one and being pushed to the brink at home, Penn State firmly took control of the match. They won the last two sets by a combined score of 40-24.

Up Next

The women’s volleyball team finishes the Penn State Classic in Rec Hall against Central Michigan on Sunday, September 21, at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.