No. 9 Penn State women’s volleyball (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) fell to Michigan State (11-1, 1-1 Big Ten) 3-1 in East Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon. 

Madi Andrews and Hayley Ogden led the way for the Spartans with 13 kills apiece, and Malayah Long dished out 40 assists. Libero Lia Schneider had 21 digs.

Kennedy Martin led all Penn State players with 19 kills. Martin and Gabrielle Nichols each recorded six blocks. Freshman Danielle Whitmire had 24 assists, and Ava Falduto tallied 18 digs.

How It Happened

Kennedy Martin kicked off set one with a hefty swing from the right side, but Hayley Ogden responded with a kill of her own. A Penn State attack error and a solo stuff from Zora Hardison gave Michigan State the early 3-1 lead. 

Martin and Emmi Sellman delivered back-to-back kills, and Madi Andrews and Hardison answered with two big swings to keep the set advantage for the Spartans. 

Alanna Bankston was the fourth Spartan to register a kill, and that sparked a massive run for Michigan State. Ogden swung hard off the block, and Malayah Long served up an ace for the 9-5 advantage. 

Bankston and Ogden registered points off of big swings before Sellman swung off the block. Every Spartan was getting a chance to swing as Bankston, Andrews, and Ogden, and Long tallied four straight points and a 15-7 Spartan lead. 

Alexis Stucky landed a service ace, but Ogden found herself another kill. Andrews soared and swung through the block, and followed with a tip. Penn State broke the run with a tip from Nichols. Despite two Spartan errors, Penn State trailed by seven.

Schneider dove in for the save, with Andrews finishing off the play for a 20-12 Michigan State lead. 

Martin punched through the block, then followed with another shot off fingertips. Martin and Jones rose for the block. 

The Spartans were called for a net violation, and a Jones-Sellman block continued to cut the deficit. Jones then teamed up with Martin for a block, but Bankston swung big for the 22-18 lead. Sellman threw down a quick ball, but Bankston returned the favor, registering her fifth kill.

Ky Clayton delivered the 25-19 set one victory with back-to-back aces for the Spartans. 

Nichols opened set two with a solo stuff block, but Andrews answered with a swing that ricocheted off the block. Carmen Waye followed with an ace from the service line, and Whitney Lauenstein added a kill.

Nichols and Martin teamed up for a block at the net, and Nichols followed with a fast tip for the 4-2 lead. 

Andrews answered with a kill off the hands of the blockers. Hardison drilled a ball straight between the two blockers, and Bankston followed with a shot to the floor.

Jones swung off the block for another point, and Waye answered with her first kill of the match. 

Lauenstein hammered home a kill, and Nichols blasted an overpass down, forcing a Michigan State timeout as Penn State led 9-6. 

Long connected with Waye for a quick ball, following it with a solo block to cut the deficit to one. 

Martin exploded from the right side to notch a kill, and Lauenstein landed a roll shot to the back line for the 11-9 Nittany Lion lead.

Hardison ended a chaotic rally with a shot through the block. Sellman responded with to the deep opposite corner. 

The Spartans and Nittany Lions continued to trade kills, Andrews swinging off high hands and Martin cutting a sharp cross-court ball. 

Waye tied the score at 13-13 with a shot that was dug out of bounds, earning the Spartans a lead with a swing down and off the block. 

Service errors from both sides sent the Spartans into the media timeout with a 15-14 advantage. 

Waye kept it rolling with a solo stuff and teamed up with Bankston for another block. Long tacked on a service ace, stretching the Spartan lead to 18-14 and prompting a Penn State timeout. 

The Nittany Lions made another lineup change by subbing in Whitmire and Caroline Jurevicius. 

The Spartans repeated the same sequence, with Waye and Bankston doubling up for the block and Long floating over another ace. 

Waye kept her arm hot, slamming down an overpass for the 21-14 lead. 

Lauenstein ended the Spartan run and sparked a Penn State rally with back-to-back kills and a block combo with Nichols. 

Michigan State challenged a hitting error call, but it was upheld, allowing the Nittany Lions to claw back, trailing 22-18. 

The Spartans had two more attack errors before Andrews notched her ninth kill of the match. 

A Hardison-Ogden block had Michigan State at set point, and despite a massive swing from Lauenstein, Hardison fired out of the middle for the 25-21 set win and 2-0 match advantage.

The Spartans’ front row started hot with Waye and Carmen teaming up for the block. Waye followed with a solo stuff. 

Waye drilled an overpass to the backline, and Ogden delivered two kills, one cross-court and another off the block, for a 5-0 Michigan State lead.  

Andrews tipped up and over the block, and a net violation on Penn State stretched the lead to 7-0. 

Nichols and Martin ended the run with a block, and Martin swung off high hands. Ogden ripped a shot that was dug out of bounds, but Martin responded with a sneaky tip for her eighth kill. 

Sellman delivered down the line, and a Jones-Whitmire block cut the Spartan lead to 8-5. Sellman capitalized on an overpass, but Ogden ended the run with a swing straight down into empty court. 

Hardison drilled a ball off the block and down the line, and Martin followed with a similar sequence. With a 10-7 advantage, Andrews swung hard off the block. 

Whitmire and Jones teamed up for a block, and Lauenstein found the floor for the Nittany Lions. Martin and Nichols kept the block success alive until Ogden snuck a push off the block. 

Martin and Nichols teamed up again for Penn State’s eleventh block before Jones suffered an injury after an inadvertent collision with Falduto, with Kendall Northern taking over middle duties.

A kill from Andrews sent the Spartans into the media timeout up 15-12. Martin found her tenth and eleventh kills of the match, and Sellman added her seventh. 

Ogden swung to the back corner, but a Spartan service error and a Northern-Whitmire block gave Penn State the 18-17 lead. 

Lauenstein’s tip dropped after some miscommunication from Michigan State. Long delivered a quick dump, and a Penn State attack error tied the set at 19-19. 

Martin swung right down the line, and a Spartan attack error flipped the lead back to the Nittany Lions, 21-19. 

Out of a Michigan State timeout, back-to-back Penn State errors knotted the set at 21-21, and an additional error gave the Spartans the advantage. Penn State called a timeout down one, 22-21. 

Nichols executed a quick attack through the block, and Martin threw down a Spartan overpass. A Michigan State attack error gave Penn State set point, and Martin rose and won the joust at the net for the 25-22 set victory. 

Set four began with a Penn State service error. Ogden and Martin exchanged kills, and Waye put down a shot from the middle for the 3-3 tie. 

Ogden and Hardison tag-teamed for a block, and Wayne dropped in a service ace. Martin swung off the block, and Bankston answered with a backrow kill to the seam. 

Sellman put a kill down right in front of the Spartan backline. Northern’s line shot just missed, but she recovered on the next play with a quick shot out of the middle. 

Hardison sent a ball cross-court on the slide, and two Nittany Lion attack errors gave Michigan State the 10-6 lead. 

Whitmire executed a setter dump while Andrews and Lauenstein followed with swings deep in the court. A Lauenstein solo block cut the score to 12-9 Spartans. 

Waye earned her eighth kill. Hardison scored off a tight set from Long. Nichols found a hole in the Spartan defense, and Martin rose for a roll shot, but Hardison sent the Spartans into the media timeout up 15-11.

Hardison and Sellman traded kills out of the break, and Long won a joust at the net. A block from Hardison and Bankston put the Spartans up 18-12 and forced a Penn State timeout. 

Haley Burgdorf found a kill, and Northern followed with a swing out of the middle. Hardison and Bankston delivered big swings, and Bankston was awarded a block after a failed challenge from Penn State.

Martin started a rally for the Nittany Lions with a crucial kill, and Nichols and Whitmire doubled for the block. A Spartan attack error set the score at 21-17, prompting a Michigan State timeout. 

Ava Jurevicius came through with an ace, but back-to-back Nittany Lion errors had the Spartans closing in on the set win. Penn State called a timeout, trailing 23-18.

Ogden swung down the line for match point, but a lengthy rally ended in a point for Penn State. Bankston closed out the set and handed the Spartans the match victory with a solo block, and Michigan State earned its first Big Ten win of the season. 

Takeaways

• Michigan State forced Penn State to play out of system through most of sets one and two, creating chaos for the Nittany Lions. 
• Alexis Stucky had 10 assists on the afternoon before Danielle Whitmire took over setting duties.
• The Spartan block and overall defense made it difficult to run Gabrielle Nichols, Ryla Jones, and Kendall Northern out of the middle as frequently as Stucky and Whitmire would have liked. 
• Jones did not return to the match after suffering an apparent knee injury early in the fourth set. 

What’s Next?

Penn State will host No. 1 Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, in Rec Hall. The game will be available on Big Ten Network.