Penn State women’s volleyball (15-5, 7-3 Big Ten) took down Indiana (12-7, 5-5 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, winning three sets to one.

The Nittany Lions dominated the opening set, 25-16, but narrowly dropped the second set to the hosting Hoosiers. A strong third set and a late rally in the fourth sealed yet another conference win for Penn State.

How It Happened

It was a competitive start for the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions, who alternated scoring the first 13 points of the match.

Penn State finally broke the streak, as two kills by Kennedy Martin and a service ace by Ava Falduto sparked a 4-0 run for the blue and white. It led 10-7 at the end of the sequence, prompting Indiana to call a timeout.

Despite the Hoosiers notching a kill immediately following the break, the Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off. Another 4-0 gave Penn State a commanding lead, with the score at 14-7.

The seven-point margin held, with kills by Gabrielle Nichols and Martin quickly propelling Penn State to the 20-point threshold.

Another service ace by Falduto put the Nittany Lions ahead 21-13, before a kill by Whitney Lauenstein inevitably closed out the set for Penn State, the blue and white taking it 25-16.

The Nittany Lions were slow out of the gate to start the second set, with Indiana securing three of the first four points. A Martin kill was the lone Penn State point during the stretch.

The crimson and cream onslaught continued, with the Hoosiers taking a 7-3 advantage into the Penn State timeout. The blue and white were able to generate a 3-0 run, with Emmi Sellman and Alexis Stucky being key contributors.

The Nittany Lions were eventually able to bring the score to within a point, but Indiana countered each of the seven times Penn State came close.

A back-and-forth set just never tilted in the way of the Nittany Lions, as a Sellman service error sealed the deal for the Hoosiers in the second, winning the set 25-22.

The start of the third set was quite the opposite of the second.

With Falduto serving, the Nittany Lions opened the third set with four consecutive points, including an ace to cap it off. The Hoosiers rallied from there, even taking an 8-7 lead in a big 6-1 run, but Penn State took over from there.

The Nittany Lions scored 10 of the next 11 points, highlighted by consecutive aces by Martin, to jump out to a 17-9 lead.

The teams exchanged scoring runs, but Penn State took five out of the last six. A kill by Martin gave the Nittany Lions the 25-16 win in the third, putting them one set away from victory.

Indiana took the first point of the fourth set, but Penn State countered with three of their own.

It was the story of the service errors, as Indiana quickly narrowed the 10-5 gap thanks to four Penn State misfires. The Hoosiers eventually tied the score at 16 points apiece.

Two kills by Martin helped the Nittany Lions break away late, leading 23-20 before Indiana called a timeout.

A service ace by Nichols gave Penn State a 25-21 win in the fourth set, and the 3-1 victory in the match.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions dominated from the serve, notching 10 service aces to just three for the Hoosiers. They also had s significantly higher hit percentage, coming in at a blistering 37.6% to Indiana’s 20.7%.
• As always, Kennedy Martin led the way with 21 kills to just three errors. Whitney Lauenstein was the only other Nittany Lion in double digits with 14.
• Penn State is now tied for fourth in the Big Ten with a 7-3 conference record. With the first ever Big Ten Women’s Volleyball Tournament coming up, seeding will be crucial toward taking the first ever crown.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions are back in action at Rec Hall to face Ohio State for Military Appreciation Night at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 29. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.