Penn State women’s volleyball fell to SMU in the semifinals of the inaugural Spikes Under the Lights at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday night.

This best-of-three-style volleyball tournament included four powerhouse women’s volleyball programs: No. 1 Nebraska, No. 17 Florida, No. 10 Penn State, and No. 11 SMU.

Penn State showed flashes of success as it adjusted to a new squad featuring three transfers in the starting lineup. Ultimately, SMU was able to finish strong late in both sets, securing the victory and advancing to the championship match.

How It Happened

Gabi Placide opened the scoring for the Mustangs before Whitney Lauenstein answered with a tip over the block. SMU played strong off the block for another point, but Lauenstein countered by ripping an out-of-system swing into the back corner. 

Alexis Stucky’s first serve as a Nittany Lion was an ace, tying the set at 3-3. Kennedy Martin followed with a back-row kill, and Ryla Jones converted twice in transition in her Penn State debut to put the Nittany Lions ahead, 6-4. 

Hannah Beauford scored off her serve for SMU, and Christa Wilburn tipped for an 8-6 Mustang lead. Martin pushed a tight ball off blocking hands, and an Emmi Sellman kill leveled the score 8-8.

Natalia Newsome and Wilburn scored back-to-back points, giving the Mustangs the 11-9 lead heading into the media timeout. Out of the break, SMU extended its advantage with kills from Suni Davis and Newsome.  

Lauenstein continued to lead Penn State offensively, swinging through the block to keep the Nittany Lions within two. An overpass kill and an ace extended the Mustang lead to 15-11,  but Lauenstein answered once again with a cross-court kill.

Stucky earned a point from her serve, forcing an SMU timeout. Jones came up with a stuff block, and libero Ava Falduto ran Penn State’s back row with proficiency in a long rally. 

A Favor Anyanwu kill and float serve prompted a Penn State timeout with the Nittany Lions trailing 18-16. Martin responded out of the break with a hard swing off the block, followed by another kill to knot the set at 18.

The closing points became a back-and-forth battle. SMU took a 20-19 lead before a long serve evened the score at 20 a piece.

Lauenstein answered with a line shot to make it 21-21, but the Mustangs reclaimed the lead after a Penn State service error. 

Martin kept the Nittany Lions alive with a back-row kill to tie it at 22-22. Davis’ attack from the left side, followed by a Penn State hitting error, gave the Mustangs the set one win, 25-22. 

SMU carried its momentum into the second set, opening with a pair of quick points before Lauenstein answered with a tip to even the score at 2-2. 

A Penn State receiving error and a solo block from Anyanwu put the Mustangs up 4-2, but Jones and Stucky connected for a point after a successful challenge to keep the Nittany Lions within one. 

Anyanwu stayed hot with a shot down the line, but Martin responded with a cross-court shot followed by a sneaky dump from Stucky. 

SMU answered with another kill to take an 8-5 lead, but a Mustang service error and a hard-earned point from the Nittany Lion defense cut the deficit to one.

Lauenstein continued to shine in her Penn State debut, delivering back-to-back kills, but SMU tooled the Nittany Lion block for the 12-10 lead. 

Jones dumped from the middle, but Anyanwu answered with a kill over the block. The Mustangs then extended their lead to 14-11 with a block from Wilburn. 

Freshman Haley Burgdorf sparked the Nittany Lion offense with a kill, and Martin followed in suite with an ace to bring the Nittany Lions within one at 14-13.

Both teams traded service errors before, and a Mustang error tied the game at 15-15. Falduto laid out for a save, allowing Lauenstein to finish off the rally. Lauenstein followed with another kill, putting Penn State in front 17-16.

SMU answered with a kill off the block and then capitalized on an overpass, reclaiming an 18-17 lead and forcing a Penn State timeout. 

Anyanwu delivered a block, but a successful block touch challenge kept Penn State alive. 

A long swing on the next possession ended the match, giving SMU the 21-18 win and sending them to the championship match against No. 1 Nebraska. 

Takeaways:

• Whitney Lauenstein made an impressive debut in the blue and white, recording 12 kills while hitting .450.
• Alexis Stucky tallied 19 assists in her debut. While continuing to build chemistry and find a rhythm with her hitters, Stucky’s connections with Kennedy Martin, Ryla Jones, and Lauenstein grew stronger throughout both sets.
• True freshman Haley Burgdorf brought a fiery, fresh energy to the court and showed no hesitation in her first collegiate match, making an impact both offensively and defensively.
• Ava Falduto made a strong transition into her new role as libero, recording seven digs and keeping the ball alive late in rallies.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel back to Happy Valley to host its annual Penn State Invitational. The Nittany Lions will face UConn in Rec Hall at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 29. The game will be available to watch on the Big Ten Network.