No. 16 Penn State women’s volleyball (10-4, 2-2 Big Ten) took down Iowa (12-6, 1-3 Big Ten) with critical saves on Saturday night at Rec Hall.

Kennedy Martin led Penn State with 24 kills, four service aces, and three blocks. Haley Burgdorf added 11 kills, and Whitney Lauenstein also finished with 11 kills. Alexis Stucky powered the offense with 54 assists, helping Penn State secure the win.

How it Happened

A back-and-forth start set the tone in the first set. Points went up on both ends for the Hawkeyes and the Nittany Lions, with Martin scoring 4 kills off Stucky’s sets. For Iowa, Hanna Whittingstall added many kills to the board, making it an even score throughout the first game.

There was no separation established. The score got to a tight 13-13 with Penn State’s Martin having seven of those points. A long rally went on during the tied match, which made the crowd get excited for where the point would go. After many digs from Martin, Stucky set it up to Martin, which allowed her a clear kill for the Nittany Lions.

The first separation was made by Iowa. Penn State had three major serve errors from Lauenstein, Kendall Northern, and Martin. This gave the Hawkeyes a 19-16 lead, forcing the Nittany Lions to take a timeout.

Following the timeout, the Hawkeyes continued their lead with a crucial kill by Carmel Vares, assisted by Jenna Meitzler. This added fire on the floor, making the score 20-16 Iowa.

The upper hand stayed with Iowa, thanks to a kill from Liv Mogridge and a service ace by Meitzler that extended the Hawkeyes’ momentum.

The lead lit a fire under Martin’s belt, as she went on to tally 3 kills to close the gap to 22-23. These kills were assisted well back-and-forth by Stucky and Meitzler.

This doesn’t stop Iowa from closing out the first set to be theirs. It finished with a kill by Ksenija Tomic to put the Hawkeyes on set point. An attack error closed the set by Finley Krystkowiak, which gave game one to the Hawkeyes.

Penn State established their dominance early on in the second set with a 4-0 lead. The first point came off strong with a killer set from Stucky to allow a kill for Lauenstein. Following the point, Stucky gave the Nittany Lions 3 beautiful serves, causing the Hawkeyes many attack errors.

The separation continued for Penn State, as Burgdorf put one away for the kill, with Ava Falduto providing the assist.

Iowa tried to come back from the deficit, but Stucky’s sets were unmatched for the Nittany Lions. She provided crucial assists for many added kills by both Martin and Lauenstein. This brought the score to 13-9 Penn State.

A challenge was called by the Hawkeyes for Lauenstein’s kill that added 13 to the lead, but after the footage review, the point was awarded to Penn State.

Penn State extended its lead with a kill from Northern, set by Stucky. Martin then followed with a service ace after an Iowa reception error, pushing the Nittany Lions ahead 17-11 and forcing an Iowa timeout.

Northern got hot for Penn State after the called timeout. She added another kill, with an assist from Stucky, and then followed with another aggressive spike to kill, giving Penn State a 19-12 lead.

After a long rally, Burgdorf finished the point with a powerful spike, putting the ball away for the kill off an assist by Stucky. This put Penn State up 22-15.

Iowa had a service error, granting Penn State set point. Carmel Vares delivered a kill off an assist from Meitzler to keep the Hawkeyes alive. Quickly after, Burgdorf then closed out the set with a kill assisted by Stucky, giving Penn State a 25-17 set victory.

Penn State opened the third set with a kill from Gabrielle Nichols, assisted by Martin. This didn’t stop Iowa from quickly responding with a kill from Hannah Whittingstall, but it was quickly returned with a kill from Burgdorf off an assist from Stucky. Lexi Gin then added a service ace to give the Nittany Lions a 3-1 lead.

The heat built up in Iowa from this lead, causing Liv Mogridge to answer with a kill off an assist from Meitzler, and a battle back to tie the set at 5-5 after two Penn State attack errors.

At 11-11, an incredible rally broke out as Iowa’s Allison Berent dove to the floor for a spectacular save to keep the play alive. After a back-and-forth battle, Martin finished the rally with a powerful kill off Ava Falduto’s assist for the Nittany Lions.

The first separation was established in this set with an 18-14 lead by Penn State.

At 18-16, a thrilling rally had the crowd on its feet as Falduto dove to the floor to keep the play alive. Her effort fired up Penn State, and Lauenstein finished the rally with a kill off Stucky’s assist.

Another incredible save by Falduto had the crowd on its feet as she sprinted across the court and reached out with her right arm to keep the ball alive. Iowa finished the rally with Vares putting it away for the kill off Jenna Meitzler’s assist.

To close out the set, Kennedy Martin delivered a powerful kill to put Penn State at set point. Iowa’s failed serve sealed the third set for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State started the fourth set strong with Martin’s service ace, followed by kills from Martin and Burgdorf to give the Nittany Lions an early 4-2 lead. Iowa answered with back-to-back points, including a kill from Rosa Vesty and a service ace from Henlee Moszkowicz.

Nittany Lions’ Northern delivered an incredible kill, squeezing the ball just inside the line to keep it in play and give Penn State the point off Stucky’s assist.

The first real separation is set by the Nittany Lions, 6-11. Kills are made by Stucky and Martin to establish this lead.

This doesn’t stop the Hawkeyes from battling back to tie the set at 11-11, with Whittingstall delivering a service ace before Vares finished the run with a kill off Meitzler’s assist.

Penn State answered Iowa’s run with a strong stretch of its own. Lauenstein opened with a kill off Stucky’s assist, followed by kills from Martin. After an Iowa service error, Burgdorf added another kill before Martin struck again to push Penn State ahead 17-13.

The Nittany Lions continued to build their lead as Northern powered through for a kill off Stucky’s assist. Martin followed with a service ace, pushing the Nittany Lions ahead 19-14 and forcing Iowa to call a timeout after another Penn State point.

Penn State continued to pull away late in the set, with Lauenstein and Martin each recording kills off Stucky’s assists. Iowa answered with a kill from Whittingstall, but a Martin attack error brought Iowa within five at 23-19.

A challenge was called by Penn State on Martin’s serve, and the call was overturned in the Nittany Lions’ favor, awarding Penn State the point and putting them on set point.

Whitney Lauenstein closed out the set with a kill off Stucky’s assist, giving Penn State the game victory.

Takeaways

• Kennedy Martin contributed 10 kills in the first set for the Nittany Lions. The redshirt senior had a truly dominant performance on the floor that helped lead and propel the team to a quick victory.
• Alexis Stucky delivered precise assists to set up multiple kills for the Nittany Lions. The chemistry on the floor was a key goal for Penn State this season and the Nittany Lions are learning how to move around each other and work together.
• Two incredible floor saves by Ava Falduto for the Nittany Lions showed the tenacity of this Nittany Lion team.

What’s Next?

Penn State is back again at Rec Hall to face Northwestern at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 9, for the annual THON & V Foundation Match. Folks can watch from home on Big Ten Plus.