Penn State defeated the Villanova Wildcats on Tuesday night in a closer-than expected four-set win (25-14, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18), in front of 1456 Rec Hall fans.  The Nittany Lions were uncharacteristically error-prone, as they totaled 22 attack errors, 12 service errors, and were aced 6 times.

Sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Nichols pulled double duty for post-match interviews Tuesday night following a standout performance against the Wildcats.

Nichols had a career-high 13 kills (.579) and six blocks, then spoke to Penn State and Ohio State volleyball alum Mac Podraza on the broadcast afterward. Nichols next joined her head coach, Katie Schumacher-Cawley, and her setter, Alexis Stucky, at the podium in Penn State’s media room to discuss the win.

Nichols’ previous career-best was 11 kills in a 3-2 win over Ohio State on November 16, 2025 at Rec Hall. Fellow starting middle blocker Ryla Jones had a very efficient night as well for the Nittany Lions, tallying seven kills (.545) and three blocks versus State College native and former Penn State assistant coach Josh Steinbach’s Villanova squad.

Steinbach is in his 20th season as head coach of the Wildcats, and his team gave the Nittany Lions plenty of issues, none more apparent than in a 25-19 second-set win for Villanova. The Wildcats also won a set against Penn State during the spring match they played in April at Rec Hall.

Stucky spread the ball around to a variety of hitters Tuesday night, with six different players taking at least 11 swings. Kennedy Martin led the way with 30 swings, recording 12 kills (.200), seven digs, and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Emmi Sellman (three kills, .167) came off the bench in relief of starter Whitney Lauenstein (five kills, .143) midway through the match, as 13 players saw the court for the Nittany Lions.

The first and third sets were Penn State’s most efficient of the night, as Stucky led the Nittany Lions to a .500 hitting percentage in the first and .361 clip in the third. The Nittany Lions (7-1) were assessed a service error for being out of rotation at one point versus Villanova, and referees were keeping a close eye on substitution procedures all night. The Nittany Lions next welcome South Florida and Tennessee to Rec Hall for the Penn State Classic this weekend.

Post-Match Press Conference

Katie Schumacher-Cawley, Gabrielle Nichols, and Alexis Stucky fielded questions from the media after the match. The transcript, lightly edited for length and clarity, can be found below.

KSC’s opening statement:

“Thanks for coming. As always, we appreciate it. It’s nice to win. I thought we did some good things. [We] made a couple, way too many, errors in the second set, but I thought we regrouped well, and players off the bench did their job. These two, I thought, had a great match, and found ways to score points.”

Coach, what do you think Villanova did well in that second set to kind of force you guys to make adjustments in the third and fourth?

KSC: “I think they’re coached well. I think Josh does a great job. They play hard. They forced us to make errors. I mean, we had quite a few hitting errors in that set and service errors. When you make 11-12 errors a set, it’s pretty tough to win. So, they kept us on our toes, and we found a way to dig out of it.”

Gabrielle, you led the way with 13 kills. Ryla Jones also played well. What did the middles do well today, in your eyes?

Nichols: “I think the middles were up in transition a lot, and Stucky was finding us in our windows, and we were finding ways to score. But we can’t do that without the first contact or Stucky, so we owe that to them.”

Coach, you’ve won 12 of your last 13 sets over the last four matches. What do you think has been the real highlight that has allowed that to happen? Whether it be offensively, defensively, or anything you’ve noticed.

KSC: “I think it’s collective. I think Red (Alexis) here is doing a good job moving the ball around, and the middles are getting better, but I think, as a unit, we’re getting better. We have a lot of players coming in off the bench, and everyone’s doing their job. I think that’s how this team can win some big matches this year. Everyone’s going to have to contribute, and I think we’re getting better. The goal for us is to get better every day in the gym.”

Coach, how would you say the momentum swung after Emmi Sellman came into the game?

KSC: “I thought Emmi did a great job. She came in, she passed well, scored a few points, but I think she stabilized us in serve receive. I think we were kind of getting beat up a little bit in serve receive in that spot. She came in and did her job. I’m not surprised. I mean, it’s her job to do that, and she understands that, and I thought she did a great job.”

Alexis, what have you enjoyed most about playing for Penn State so far?

Stucky: “Oh, my gosh, I think it’s just such a great environment, regardless of where you are. Our locker room is such a great place to be a part of, and then when you get to play in Rec Hall, the wRECking Crew is so great. It’s so fun to be here.”

How have you seen Gabrielle improve so far this season?

Stucky: “I think our connection has just gotten better and better. We started in January, and it keeps getting better and better. I’m really trusting her, and she’s working really, really hard to get up, and she’s making really good decisions.”

Gabrielle, what’s it like playing with Alexis?

Nichols: “A dream. She’s amazing. Obviously, she’s very talented, [an] All-American, but she’s a great person to be around. You want to be around Stucky. You want to talk to Stucky. You want to talk to Stucky about her day, because she’s just such a light to this team.”

This is kind of [random], but do either of you know where the little star hair clips came from that you guys have been wearing?

Stucky: “We got those at Wrigley Field at a little Adidas booth. So, yeah, it’s been awesome to grab those.”

KSC: “Maybe I should wear one of those (laughs).”

Coach, your next matchup is a rematch against USF after the [NCAA] tournament last season. What’s the expectations heading into that? 

KSC: “The expectations are to play well and to win on your home court. They’re going to come in and compete. They’re a very good team. I expect it to be a great match, but I know we’ll be prepared, and use these next couple days to get ready for the weekend.”

Coach, what can you say about the emergence of Haley Burgdorf? It seems like she’s just been all over the court. She had 13 digs today and seven kills. What can you say about her effectiveness in her role this season?

KSC: “Haley’s a great player. We knew that. That’s why we recruited her to come here. She knows the game well. She’s got a great touch. I think, whether she’s playing all six rotations or three rotations, she’s aware of what’s going on and what’s around her. I‘m really happy she’s a part of our program.”

Alexis, what do you enjoy about working with Danielle? What are some of her special traits as a player?

Stucky: “I have so much fun with Danielle. I think, as you saw the other night [against Ohio], she’s such a great server. But I think she works so hard, and she’s just fun to be around. She makes me laugh all the time, so I love Danielle.”

Box Score

Villanova Stats

#	Player	SP	K	E	TA	%	A	E	SA	SE	BS	BA	BE	DIG	BHE	RE	Pts
10	Abby Harrell	4	13	2	35	0.314	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	6	0	5	16
4	Taylor Lewis	4	13	5	27	0.296	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	13.5
0	Campbell McKinnon	4	6	3	15	0.200	0	0	1	2	0	2	0	2	0	0	8
9	Cat Young	4	4	6	22	-0.091	1	0	1	2	0	1	0	11	0	2	5.5
44	Reagan McGivern	4	2	3	9	-0.111	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	3
6	Chloe Kelly	4	2	3	10	-0.100	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3
24	Selah O’Connor	4	0	0	0	0.000	9	0	1	1	0	0	1	3	0	0	1
7	Alyssa Nelson	4	0	0	0	0.000	27	0	0	1	0	0	1	6	0	0	0
8	Marikate Ritterbusch	4	0	0	0	0.000	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0
21	Mina Diggs	4	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0
11	Michelle Eburuoh	1	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Total			40	22	118	0.153	38	0	6	8	0	8	5	39	0	7	50

Box Score