No. 10 Penn State women’s volleyball (21-5, 13-3 Big Ten) swept No. 25 Illinois (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) with critical saves on Saturday night at Huff Hall.

Kennedy Martin led Penn State’s offense with key kills throughout the match, while Alexis Stucky powered the Nittany Lions with consistent assists and timely kills of her own.

Whitney Lauenstein, Gabrielle Nichols, and Emmi Sellman also contributed important kills, while Ava Falduto and Haley Burgdorf added service aces. Penn State’s strong blocking and balanced offensive performance helped the Nittany Lions complete the 3-0 sweep over Illinois.

How It Happened

Penn State really set the tone early in the opening set against Illinois, building a quick seven-point lead, making it 11-4.

Gabrielle Nichols helped fuel the Nittany Lions’ momentum with a service ace and two consecutive points off Illinois attack errors, while Kennedy Martin and Kendall Northern teamed up for a block.

Alexis Stucky also set up Nichols for a kill as Penn State took control early in the first set.

Illinois attempted to close the gap with kills from Madi Miles and Paityn Chapman, but a service error from Gabriella Pitcel and an attack error from Chapman helped Penn State maintain control.

Penn State continue to dominate. A kill from Whitney Lauenstein assisted by Stucky added to its lead, making it 15-9 going into a media timeout.

Stucky added a kill, while Martin and Nichols teamed up for a block that forced an attack error from Illinois’ Alyssa Aguayo, giving Penn State another point at 17-9.

Illinois’ Ashlyn Philpot answered with a kill from Kenna Phelan to make it 17-10 before another attack error brought the score to 18-10 in Penn State’s favor.

No mercy was established by Illinois to start the second set. Kills from Aguayo and Philpot help create a 5-3 lead.

Penn State tried to fight back, but just couldn’t stop Illinois from continuing its lead. A service ace from Phelan and a kill from Kristina Starostenko added on.

Martin added another kill off a Stucky assist to bring Penn State within one at 10-9, keeping the Nittany Lions in the fight as the second set continued.

Penn State continued to battle Illinois as the second set remained close at 11-11. Lauenstein recorded a kill off an assist from Stucky to even the score.

Illinois quickly responded, taking a 12-11 lead after Lauenstein’s attack was blocked by Randall and Philpot.

Burgdorf answered with a kill off another Stucky assist to tie the set at 12-12. Illinois regained the advantage at 13-12 with a kill from de Boer, assisted by Randall, keeping the pressure on the Nittany Lions.

Penn State fought back with a 3-0 run. Martin recorded another kill off of Stucky to help even the score. Sellman then delivered back-to-back kills, first off an assist from Northern and then another from Stucky, giving the Nittany Lions a 16-15 lead.

Penn State extended its advantage to 17-15 when Stucky helped block Chapman’s attack, forcing Illinois to take a timeout.

Penn State continued to hold its advantage. Lauenstein recording a kill off an assist from Martin to help the Nittany Lions maintain their lead.

Illinois stayed within reach, as Philpot recorded a kill to bring the score to 19-18. Penn State answered with a strong defensive play, as Northern and Stucky teamed up for a block to stop Aguayo’s attack and greaten the lead to 20-18.

After an Illinois point brought the score to 20-19, Martin delivered another kill off Stucky. Penn State followed with another key block, this time from Lauenstein and Nichols, to take a 22-19 lead and force Illinois to call another timeout.

Lauenstein recorded a kill off an assist from Stucky to help the Nittany Lions reach set point. Penn State sealed the win at 25-20 after de Boer committed an attack error, giving the Nittany Lions another set victory and putting them one set away from the sweep.

Penn State carried its momentum into the third set, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. Falduto opened the scoring with a service ace against Maya Harris, while Stucky added a kill to keep the Nittany Lions in control.

Penn State extended its advantage to 5-1 after a strong block from Lauenstein and Nichols stopped Chapman’s attack.

Illinois responded with a point, but Martin answered with another kill off Stucky to give Penn State a 6-2 lead. Despite an Illinois kill from Aguayo bringing the score to 6-3, the Nittany Lions continued to control the pace as they looked to complete the sweep.

Illinois began to close the gap using kills from de Boer and Starostenko to build momentum. Martin answered with a kill off Stucky’s assist.

After a service error from Martin, Penn State responded with a Sellman kill off another Stucky assist to make it 10-7.

Burgdorf then delivered a service ace against Aguayo, extending Penn State’s lead to 11-7 as the Nittany Lions regained control of the set.

Illinois continued to put pressure on Penn State, maintaining a narrow lead as the teams traded points. Aguayo and Philpot contributed kills to help Illinois stay within reach, while Chapman added a service ace to bring the score to 14-12.

Martin responded with a kill off an Stucky assist, giving Penn State a 15-12 advantage.

Illinois continued to fight back, cutting the lead to 15-14 after a kill from Philpot. Nichols answered with a kill off another Stucky assist to push Penn State ahead 16-14.

Following a service error from Nichols, Martin delivered another key kill, again assisted by Stucky, to extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to 17-15 as Penn State looked to close out the match.

Penn State and Illinois continued to battle with the score tied at 18-18 after a kill from Starostenko.

Illinois gained momentum as Harris recorded back-to-back service aces, targeting Martin and Lauenstein to give the Fighting Illini a 20-18 advantage and force a Penn State timeout.

Harris followed with a service error, allowing the Nittany Lions to cut the deficit to one. Stucky then delivered a crucial kill to even the score at 20-20, keeping Penn State in the fight as the third set entered its final stretch.

Penn State regained control with a crucial three-point scoring run. Martin recorded a kill off a Stucky assist to give the Nittany Lions a 21-20 lead, forcing Illinois to call a timeout.

Penn State kept the momentum going as Stucky delivered back-to-back kills, extending the advantage to 23-20. With the Nittany Lions just two points away from closing out the match, the pressure shifted back to Illinois.

Nichols came up with a key kill to keep the Nittany Lions ahead before Illinois answered with a kill from Chapman to make it 24-21.

Nichols then delivered the final point off a Stucky assist, securing the set and a 3-0 match victory for Penn State.

Takeaways

• Penn State dominated the opening set. The Nittany Lions jumped out to an 11-4 lead and never looked back, taking the first set 25-13 behind strong offensive and defensive performances.
• Alexis Stucky fueled Penn State’s offense. Stucky consistently set up teammates for kills, including Kennedy Martin, Whitney Lauenstein, Gabrielle Nichols, and Emmi Sellman, while also contributing kills of her own.
• Illinois fought back in the second set. The Fighting Illini challenged Penn State throughout the set, but the Nittany Lions responded with key kills and blocks to secure a 25-20 victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
• Penn State’s defense made the difference. Key blocks from Martin, Northern, Stucky, Lauenstein, and Nichols helped slow Illinois’ attack and create momentum during important stretches of the match.
• The Nittany Lions showed resilience in the third set. After Illinois took a 20-18 lead behind back-to-back service aces from Maya Harris, Penn State responded with a crucial scoring run, taking a 23-20 advantage and moving closer to completing the sweep.

What’s Next?

Penn State will head back to Rec Hall to face Rutgers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, to close off its Big Ten regular season. Folks can watch from home on BTN+.

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