The No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) swept the South Florida Bulls (1-8) 3-0 in the Penn State Classic on Friday night. 

Kennedy Martin notched a game-high 15 kills, with Whitney Lauenstein and Gabrielle Nichols adding seven kills apiece. Nichols also had seven blocks on the night. Alexis Stucky dished out 31 assists, and Ava Falduto registered 12 digs.

How It Happened:

USF earned the first two points of the night, courtesy of a service ace from Nina Jioshvili-Ravva and a block from Paula Tomasa and Amelia Wass de Czege.

Whitney Lauenstein put Penn State on the board with a kill to the back corner. Tomasa notched a kill, but a swing from Gabrielle Nichols tied the set at 3-3. 

Haley Burgdorf swung off the block, but Tomasa returned the favor, and a block from Jioshvili-Ravva and Iyanna Garvin gave the Bulls the 6-4 advantage. 

A USF service error and a Ryla Jones kill knotted the set, and the Nittany Lions pushed ahead by one after  Ryla Jones and Garvin exchanged kills off the slide. 

Addy Brus delivered an ace for the Bulls, but Alexis Stucky and Jones teamed up for the block. Jioshvili-Ravva snuck over a tip, and Mora Pampin earned a kill as the Bulls led 10-8. 

A rally full of tips ended with a massive stuff from Lauenstein and Nichols, and Penn State tied the set at 10-10 after a Bull attack error. The Lauenstein-Nichols duo struck again, forcing a USF timeout as the Nittany Lions took over the lead, 11-10. 

The block party continued, this time Kennedy Martin teaming up with Nichols for the point. A USF net violation and attack error extended Penn State’s lead to 14-10. 

Nichols & Martin BLOCK sends us to media timeout!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/Y6Mlbhi1Bk

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 18, 2026

Pampin snuck a shot through the block for the Bulls, and the duos of Wass de Czege and Tomasa, and Nichols and Martin traded blocks. Penn State was the first to 15 points heading into the media timeout. 

Finley Krystkowiak joined in on the block, becoming the third teammate to team up with Nichols at the net. She then delivered a cross-court kill, prompting another USF timeout as Penn State pulled away, 17-12. 

Brus swung out of the outside, and Martin responded from the right side. Two Bull errors had Penn State the first to 20, but another Brus kill and a Penn State attack error cut the deficit to five. 

Martin recovered with a kill near the ten-foot line, but Pampin hammered a ball off the Nittany Lion defense. The pair traded points once again, Martin drilling a ten-ball from Stucky and Pampin’s swing ricocheting off the block. 

Stucky notched a kill, and a USF attack error gave Penn State set point. Jones sealed the deal with a service ace, giving the Nittany Lions the 25-18 win.

Tomasa struck down and off the block to start set two, Nichols responding with a slide with Stucky. The two connected with a quick out of the middle, and Nichols rose for the solo block, Penn State taking the early 3-1 lead. 

Tomasa and Garvin both delivered kills, and an ace from Brus tied the set at 4-4. Martin secured her fourth kill of the night, and Garvin earned her third. 

Martin completed a 4-to-4 shot, and Krystowiak swung off the block for the 8-5 Penn State advantage. Wass de Czege and Jones took their respective swings from the middle, and a block from Tomasa and Wass de Czege left the Bulls trailing by two points. 

USF kept it rolling with a kill from Brus and Wass de Czege serving up back-to-back aces, knotting the set at 10-10. Martin stopped the surge with a big swing, but Tomasa followed suit on the opposite side of the net, and Garvin rose for a solo stuff. 

Martin tipped a near overpass down, and her next swing was dug out of bounds. Lauenstein earned herself an ace, and the teams traded errors to set the score at 15-13 at the media timeout. 

ANOTHER KILL FOR MARTIN!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/vTfnkTZ6rS

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 18, 2026

The teams traded errors out of the break before Martin brought home a kill. Jones dropped a ball right in front of the Bulls’ defense, leading to a USF timeout with Penn State up 18-14. 

Jioshvili-Ravva floated over an ace, Stucky answering with a kill. Pampin then hammered a ball off the block, but Martin flew out of the back row, drilling a shot to the floor as Penn State took the 20-17 advantage. Jones’ service ace forced a USF timeout.

The Bulls went on a 3-0 run, back by a kill from Brus, a service ace from Wass de Czege, and a block from Tomasa and Garvin. The Nittany Lions took their turn calling a timeout with the set knotted at 21-21.

Tomasa and Garvin teamed up again for the block, but Penn State retook the lead when Nichols found the floor, and Lauenstein swung for two kills, one off an overpass.

A USF challenge was successful at match point, but a service error gave the Nittany Lions the 25-23 set two win and 2-0 match lead. 

The fight for the first point of set three was long, but ended after Lauenstein’s swing narrowly missed the back line. Burgdorf quickly tied the set with a fiery kill out of the back row. 

Lauenstein found empty court, and another USF was successful, awarding Garvin her fifth block of the match. 

Nichols’ defensive success in sets one and two translated to offense in the third, with the middle going for back-to-back kills for the 4-4 tie. Martin and Brus traded shots, and Nichols earned her third kill in a six-point stretch. 

Ava Falduto floated over an ace, and a solo roof from Jones forced a Bulls timeout with Penn State leading 9-5. 

Martin swung for her twelfth kill, the only player of the match in double digits, and Jones slammed down an overpass. Samiyah Abdur-Rahim and Garvin teamed up for a Bull block, but Martin kept her rhythm with another big kill. 

Pampin and Wass de Czege drilled down balls for two USF points, and Abdur-Rahim tacked on another as the Bulls cut the deficit to two, 12-10. 

Martin laced a ball down the right line, but Pampin earned herself a kill after some miscommunication on Penn State’s side of the net. Jones shot out of the middle, and Stucky and Nichols tag-teamed for a block, sending the Nittany Lions into the media timeout up 15-11. 

USF went on a 3-0 run out of the break, backed by a kill from Jioshvili-Ravva, an ace from Miya Thomas, and a kill from Wass de Czege. Stucky ended the run with a kill, the score sitting at 16-14 Penn State.

Stucky with the SPIKE#WeAre pic.twitter.com/stprTMOxxs

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 18, 2026

USF kept pace, with Brus delivering two hefty swings and Wass de Czege sailing over another ace. Brus found her eighth kill of the night, leading the Bulls, but a service error and a Krystkowiak kill led to a timeout, with Penn State leading by one, 19-18. 

Abdur-Rahim’s kill tied the set, and a service ace from Brus pushed the Bulls ahead 20-19. Krystkowiak registered her fourth kill, and after a few attack errors from both sides, Martin delivered her fifteenth kill. 

Penn State called a timeout with the score knotted at 23-23. Lauenstein swung for match point, but the Bulls stayed alive off a kill from Pampin. 

Lauenstein delivered the match-winning kill, notching another two kills in the 26-24 victory. 

Takeaways:

• The Nittany Lions did not play their cleanest match for a 7-1 team facing a 1-7 team. USF showed grit throughout the match, but Penn State was able to make the key plays when it mattered most. 
• Jones and Nichols continued to use their defense to spark the offense. Their presence at the net led to the flow of a set shift in the Nittany Lions’ favor. 
• Penn State stuck with its starting lineup throughout all three sets, making only a few substitutions across the entire match. 
• Penn State’s ability to respond to USF’s runs was an important part of the match. Despite an aggressive Bulls team, the Nittany Lions found ways to regain control.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will wrap up the Penn State Classic when they take on the No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, at Rec Hall. This match will be available on the Big Ten Network.