No. 19 Penn State women’s volleyball (10-6, 4-2 Big Ten) defeated Northwestern (12-6, 2-4 Big Ten) in four sets at Rec Hall on Saturday night. It was the Nittany Lions’ third consecutive win after losing to No. 1 Nebraska a week ago.

After the Nittany Lions upset Wisconsin yesterday, they continued to reel off from their momentum by winning the first two sets by five or more points. The third set was a tight battle as neither team managed to have a lead of more than two points halfway through the set.

Northwestern pulled away and won the third set to send the match into a fourth set. The fourth set was a tight battle as but after the set was tied at 14, Penn State pulled away to win this match and the fourth set 25-16.

How It Happened

Penn State won the first point of the first set on a Maggie Mendelson kill before Northwestern returned the favor on the next point. Both teams exchanged the next 10 points as neither team managed to pull away. However, the Nittany Lions started to pull away as they won back-to-back points to take an 8-6 lead.

After Jordan Hopp committed a service error, Kennedy Martin and Maggie Mendelson recorded kills for Penn State, which allowed it to extend its lead to three. This forced the Wildcats to take their first timeout of the match. Out of the timeout, Isabella Bullington recorded a kill for Northwestern to get it within two of Penn State’s lead.

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— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 12, 2025

However, the Nittany Lions went on a 4-0 run, increasing their lead to six. This run consisted of a kill by Martin along with three consecutive attack errors by the Wildcats. After Ayah Elnady’s kill ended this run, Penn State took a 16-9 lead due to kills by Martin and Mendelson, leading to another timeout by Northwestern.

After the timeout, both teams traded service errors before the Wildcats won four of the next five points to cut their deficit to four. However, the Nittany Lions refused to be deterred and responded with a 4-0 run to take a 22-14 lead. After Elnady’s kill ended the run, both teams exchanged kills before a service error by Northwestern gave Penn State a set point.

The Wildcats saved the first two set points on a kill by Gabrielle Gerry and a service ace by Drew Wright. However, the Nittany Lions finally converted on their third set point opportunity as Caroline Jurevicius’s kill allowed them to win the first set 25-18.

An attack error by Mendelson gave Northwestern the first point of the second set. After both teams traded kills, Penn State got aggressive on the attack and went on a 6-0 run to take a five-point lead. This run was highlighted with block assists by Hopp and Martin, along with a service ace by Gillian Grimes.

However, Northwestern started to show signs of life and responded with a 4-0 run to trim its deficit to one. On the next point, Jurevicius recorded a huge kill for the Nittany Lions to end the run and prevent the Wildcats from tying the set at seven. Both teams went back and forth for the next six points before back-to-back points by Penn State gave it a 13-9 lead.

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— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 12, 2025

The back-and-forth exchange was wagered on for the next four points before the match went into a media timeout with the Nittany Lions holding a four-point lead. Out of the media timeout, Penn State increased its lead to six on an attack error by Bella Simkus and a kill by Jurevicius.

However, Northwestern refused to go away and won three of the next four points to decrease its deficit to four. The Nittany Lions responded with consecutive points to restore their six-point lead. This forced the Wildcats to use a timeout.

This timeout paid dividends for Northwestern as it won three of the next four points to decrease its deficit to four. However, its momentum was short-lived as Lauren Carter committed a service error that allowed the Nittany Lions to get within three points of winning the second set, leading the Wildcats to take another timeout.

Northwestern won two of the next three points after the timeout before a service error by Wright gave Penn State set point. It could not capitalize as the Wildcats saved the first set point on a kill by Bullington. However, Jurevicius once again ended the set with a kill of her own that allowed the Nittany Lions to win the second set 25-20.

Carter’s service ace got the Wildcats on the board first in the third set before Martin’s kill and Addie Lyon’s service ace gave the Nittany Lions the early lead. Northwestern retook the lead with back-to-back kills. However, Martin recorded consecutive kills to give Penn State the lead. On the next point, Bullington recorded a kill to tie the set at four.

Both teams traded blows for the next four points before kills by Jurevicius and Emmi Sellman gave the Nittany Lions a two-point lead. However, the Wildcats responded with a 3-0 run before Martin’s kill tied this set up at nine. After Elnady’s kill gave Northwestern the lead, Penn State went on a 3-0 run to take a 12-10 lead.

Lyon’s service error ended the run and got the Wildcats within one. Both teams exchanged four kills before a service error by Bullington gave the Nittany Lions a two-point lead heading into the media timeout. Out of the media timeout, Penn State’s lead evaporated as Northwestern went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-15 lead, forcing Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley to use her first timeout of the match.

After the timeout, the Nittany Lions ended the run on an attack error by Elnady. However, the Wildcats refused to be deterred and won three of the next four points to increase their lead to four. Penn State won three of the next five points before a block assist by Simkus and Bullington gave Northwestern a set point. It capitalized on it as a service ace by Bullington, giving the Wildcats the 25-20 set win, and sent this match to a fourth set.

Both teams traded blows for the first four points of the fourth set before back-to-back points by the Nittany Lions gave them a 4-2 lead. The back-and-forth affair was waged on for the next eight points as Penn State’s two-point lead stayed intact. However, Northwestern won consecutive points to tie the set at eight.

After the deadlock stayed intact for two points, Penn State took advantage of a Jurevicius kill and block assist by her and Hopp to take an 11-9 lead. This lead was short-lived as the Wildcats won three of the next four points to tie the set up at 12. This deadlock stayed intact for the next four points before an attack error by Elnady sent this match to a media timeout, with Penn State holding a one-point lead.

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— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 12, 2025

Out of the media timeout, the Nittany Lions started to seize their momentum by winning consecutive points to take a three-point lead, leading to a Wildcats timeout. After the timeout, Penn State’s momentum did not stop there as it won six of the next seven points to give it a 23-15 lead and get within two points of winning the match.

After Jurevicius recorded an attack error, she redeemed herself with a kill to give it match point. It converted on it with another kill by Jurevicius as the Nittany Lions completed the win with a 25-16 fourth set win.

Takeaways

• Penn State looks to have turned a corner in its season. After suffering a humiliating loss against Nebraska about a week ago, it has responded with three consecutive wins, including an upset win over Wisconsin. This team is getting hot at the right time.
• Kennedy Martin and Caroline Jurevicius were the catalysts in Penn State’s win as the duo combined for 37 of the team’s 59 kills. They were the only two Penn Staters to have double-digit kills, with Martin recording 24 and Jurevicius 13.
• Hitting percentage and kills proved to be the difference in this match as Penn State had a hitting percentage of .326 compared to Northwestern’s .167. Also, Penn State had 18 more kills than Northwestern, as it had 59 compared to Northwestern’s 41.

What’s Next?

Penn State will begin its road trip to the West Coast when it takes on Washington at 10 p.m. Friday, October 17. The match will be televised on the Big Ten Network.