No. 25 Penn State women’s volleyball (18-12, 12-8 Big Ten) concluded its regular season with a four-set victory over Iowa (15-17, 6-14 Big Ten) on Saturday night.

The Nittany Lions won the first two sets in close affairs, but the Hawkeyes recovered to win the third set. Penn State’s largest margin of victory in any set came in the match-clinching fourth set.

How It Happened

Penn State jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in the first set, benefitting from a service error by Aleksandra Stojanovic and getting kills from Emmi Sellman and Gabrielle Nichols. After a Gillian Grimes service error ended the run, Iowa pulled to within three.

Caroline Jurevicius added a pair of kills and a block assist as the Hawkeyes tried to shorten the deficit. They got it down to one on an ace by Claire Ammeraal to make it 12-11 and force a timeout by Katie Schumacher-Cawley.

Kennedy Martin exchanged kills with Chard’e Vanzandt, with the two combining for nine over the next 13 points. Iowa took its first lead of the set on a kill by Ammeraal, 17-18, but Penn State recovered to score the next five points, including a pair of aces by Martin.

Alyssa Worden had consecutive kills for the Hawkeyes to cut the deficit to 23-21 late in the set, but Penn State finished it off quickly after on a kill by Maggie Mendelson to win the first set, 25-22.

Mendelson tip for set point!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/aEJOALjNrn

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) November 30, 2025

Iowa started the second set off strong, leading 5-2 on three kills by Vanzandt. Penn State rebounded to even out the set and even pulled in front with a 4-0 run that included an ace by Ava Falduto to make it 12-8.

From there, the two teams exchanged points, with Penn State failing to pull away, but Iowa failing to pull within three. Another 4-0 run expanded the lead to 21-13 for the Nittany Lions, but the Hawkeyes responded with a 7-2 run that included a pair of aces by Worden.

Mendelson set up a set point with a kill to make it 24-20. Iowa would only hold it off briefly, as after a kill by Stojanovic, she went to the service line and committed a service error to give Penn State the second set, 25-21.

The fast start from the second set was even faster in the third set for Iowa, as they sprinted out to a 7-2 lead, buoyed by aces by Jaimie Marquardt and Vanzandt. Martin, Mendelson, and Sellman recorded kills to partially close the gap, but the Hawkeyes stayed in front.

Penn State closed to within three at 15-12, but Iowa responded with three quick points on a kill by Worden and an ace by Hannah Whittingstall. The trio of Martin, Jurevicius, and Mendelson responded with kills of their own, but time was quickly running out.

While Penn State pulled to within one at 21-20, Iowa finished the set strong with two kills by Vanzandt and the set-winner by Worden to secure a 25-22 win and force a fourth set.

The first half of the fourth set was back-and-forth, with neither team opening up a lead until Penn State got some separation with a 14-10 lead on the usual brilliance from Martin both in front and on the service line.

Ammeraal responded with a pair of kills, and Iowa closed the deficit to a 17-16 margin on a Whittingstall ace, but Martin got a kill on the next point and Penn State regained a three-point lead on a block assist by her and Mendelson.

a ROOF from Maggie and Kennedy!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/vQFnmQs2MV

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) November 30, 2025

Martin would record another three kills as Penn State started to pull away, ultimately ending the match by herself on a match-clinching ace to win the fourth set, 25-20.

Martin ends it with her fourth ACE! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/NpzrgxTdDj

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) November 30, 2025

Takeaways

• Kennedy. Martin. 26 kills, four aces, and just three errors and two service errors. Unbelievably efficient. If Penn State has any chance to conjure the magic of last year’s national championship run, she will be the shoulder the team leans on.
• There were 15 total service aces in the match, a big increase from the last few games. Penn State out-blocked Iowa, 15-3.
• It’s been an up-and-down season for Penn State that has been filled with twists and turns from the very start. The Nittany Lions will participate in their 45th consecutive NCAA Tournament, but it’s anyone’s guess how far they’ll go in defending their title.

Up Next

The Big Ten is one of four conferences that do not have a conference tournament. It’s all but assured that the Nittany Lions will be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament, and their opponent will be revealed at the selection show, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 30. The first round is scheduled for either Thursday, December 4, or Friday, December 5, with a time and location to be determined.