No. 18 Penn State (10-4, 2-2 Big Ten) swept Northwestern (7-8, 0-4 Big Ten) 3-0 on Friday night in Big Ten play.

Kennedy Martin led the way with 15 kills, and Kendall Northern reached a career-high in kills with 12. Jocelyn Nathan and Ava Falduto combined for nine digs at the libero position, and Lexi Gin earned a career-high in digs with six. Alexis Stucky dished out 45 assists, and Gabrielle Nichols led the team in blocks with four. 

Campbell Paris had a team-high eight kills for Northwestern, with Maya Stillwell following with seven. Ellie Stiernagle had 25 assists across the match, and libero Lauren Dignan had eight digs. 

How It Happened

Northwestern opened up set one with a kill from Mara Stiglic before Kennedy Martin delivered her first shot of the night. Whitney Lauenstein served over an ace, and Gabrielle Nichols hammered home a quick set from Alexis Stucky for an early 4-1 lead.

Campbell Paris sent her swing to the back row for the Wildcats, but Martin countered with a cut shot. Kendall Northern and Martin went back-to-back for kills, and Ava Falduto earned a service ace to extend the lead to 8-2. 

Stiglic ended the Nittany Lion run with a hit off the block, but Northern connected with Stucky for her first point of the night. Martin delivered Penn State’s third ace, and Northern executed a perfect slide down the line, giving Penn State the 11-5 advantage. 

Maya Stillwell notched a kill for the Wildcats, and Paris swung through the block to cut the deficit to four. Lauenstein responded by drilling two straight balls to the backline. 

Nichols shot out of the middle for a quick kill, and another Stucky ace sent the Nittany Lions into the media timeout with a 15-8 lead. 

Paris swung down the line out of the break, and a lengthy rally ended with Haley Burgdorf landing a line shot of her own. Nichols changed pace with a light tip over the block before Kayla Kauffman returned the favor.

Burgdorf powered down a shot from the outside, forcing a Northwestern timeout with Penn State closing in on a set win, 19-11. 

The Wildcats came up with their third attack error, and Northern gave the Nittany Lions a 10-point advantage with a quick swing. 

Ellie Stiernagle dropped in a kill before Stucky pushed to the deep corner, getting the Northwestern defense to bite. Lauren Dignan swung off the block, but Northern executed a thunderous slide. 

Stillwell hit a roll shot out of the middle to keep the Wildcats alive, and Paris’ roll shot landed just inside the backline. Lauenstein tipped in set point, but another Stillwell kill closed the gap, 24-17. 

Martin sealed the set with a swing that was dug out of bounds, the Nittany Lions winning 25-18. 

Lauenstein and Paris traded kills to start set two. Martin followed with a tip, and Lauenstein exploded out of the back row for the 3-1 Nittany Lion lead. 

Paris ended a rally with a kill, but the Nittany Lions continued to work the line, this time Burgdorf swinging straight on for the point.

Martin drilled a ball from the right side, and a Northern-Martin block prompted an early Northwestern timeout, with Penn State leading 6-2. 

Both sides exchanged attack errors before Stillwell pushed a ball deep into empty court. Isabella Bullington landed back-to-back kills, but Martin shut down the run with her seventh kill of the match. 

Stillwell sent over a sneaky tip to tie the set at 8-8, but Northern wrapped around Stucky for another devastating kill. Nichols tacked on an overpass kill, and Burgdorf swung out of the back middle. 

Lauenstein kept the Nittany Lions rolling with a shot that was dug to the stands, and Nichols got in on the slide action with Stucky. Stucky served up her second ace, but Paris stopped the run with a big swing from the outside. 

Paris tied the Nittany Lions up with a deep kill, but Martin’s swing had Penn State the first to 15. 

Burgdorf and Nichols rose for two straight blocks out of the media break, and Martin drilled two missiles for the 19-12 lead, forcing a Wildcat timeout. 

Northern shot up for a solo stuff, while Kayla Kauffman’s swing grazed fingertips. Northern’s swing was drilled down the line, and Martin followed with her eleventh kill of the match. 

Northern dropped in her eighth kill, setting a new career-high while Nichols and Lauenstein combined for the set-point block. Paris shut down the first set win attempt with a kill, but Lauenstein delivered with a cross-court shot as Penn State took set two, 25-17.

Martin swung off the Wildcat block for the first point of set three. Cate Schnell and Stiglic tag-teamed for the block before Nichols delivered out of the middle. 

Burgdorf swung cross-court, but Stiglic responded with a kill that snuck through the block. Nichols and Martin combined for a block, and Falduto served up an ace, putting the Nittany Lions ahead 7-2. 

A Northern-Martin block prompted an early Wildcat timeout, with Penn State leading 8-2. Northern connected off the quick set, and Burgdorf followed with a swing off the block for the 10-3 advantage. 

Stucky dumped a tight ball, but the Wildcats ended the run with a Kauffman kill. Northern’s swing ricocheted off the block before Stillwell landed her own shot from the middle. 

Lauenstein’s swing grazed the far line, and a save that sent Falduto into her team’s bench gave the Nittany Lions a 15-6 lead at the media timeout. 

Lauenstein and Stillwill traded swings, and Dignan earned Northwestern’s first service ace. Nichols dropped in her seventh and eighth kills before Lily Wagner swung on an overpass. 

Stiernagle and Kauffman doubled up for the block, and two service aces from Gigi Navarrete had the Wildcats trailing by five, 13-18. Wagner tacked on a kill, and a Penn State error forced a timeout as Northwestern creeped up on the Nittany Lions, 15-18. 

Kauffman tipped down a tight set, but Martin reentered the game and delivered a swing that held the Nittany Lion lead. Back-to-back attack errors from the Wildcats led to a timeout with Penn State leading 21-17. 

Martin powered down a kill, and Northern tipped over the block. Kauffman and Stiernagle put up a block, but Martin notched set point. Bullington snuck in a kill, but Northern sealed the set, 25-19, and the match sweep. 

Northern ends it with her 12th kill of the night!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/S22U7A7KTf

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 10, 2026

Takeaways

• Katie Schumacher-Cawley is sticking with the two-libero system with Jocelyn Nathan and Ava Falduto. This is the third game using this approach.
• Penn State’s attackers took advantage of the opening the Northwestern block provided, which was the line shot. Kennedy Martin, Kendall Northern, Haley Burgdorf, and Whitney Lauenstein each took multiple swings down the line, landing at least two apiece. 
• Penn State subbed in Alexis Ewing and Danielle Whitmire at the media timeout with a 16-5 lead, but the Wildcats went on an 8-0 run, causing Martin and Alexis Stucky to reenter the game to seal the sweep. 

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will continue Big Ten action, facing No. 20 Washington at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, in Rec Hall. This match will be available on the Big Ten Network and is the Sudden Cardiac Awareness Match.