Penn State takes their 3rd ranked win of the season against the #10 Oregon Ducks. Kennedy Martin led all scorers with 27 points (25 kills, 0,431 hitting percentage, 4 blocks). Whitney Lauenstein (15 kills, 5 blocks) and Emmi Sellman (7 kills) added 17.5 and 7 points respectively.
With 9 matches in B1G under their belt, the Nittany Lions were looking to put themselves in a good position as they go in the inaugural tournament. The Lions had a good victory last year against the Ducks in Bend and leads the series 6-3. A win against the Ducks would add to the Lions’ resume towards a potential hosting seed for the NCAA tournament.
The Nittany Lions started hot by taking the first set 25-17. The Nittany Lions sided out at 100% rate in the first set. A mixture of a strong varied offense and a little bit of help from the errors of Oregon allowed the Nittany Lions to take the set comfortably. It has been an emphasis by Coach Schumacher-Cawley for the team to start fast.
The second set was tighter for the Nittany Lions. The team tried to continue the momentum and overcome a 4-point deficit in second but the Ducks held strong to win the second behind Sjakkie Donkers and Alannah Clemente who combined for 29.5 points in the match. However, Kennedy Martin, who led the match with 27 points from a season-high 25 kills (0.431 hitting percentage) and 4 blocks, was not to be denied and the Nittany Lions took back the momentum to win 3rd and the 4th.
Whitney Lauenstein continues to perform well as she had another double digit kill performance. She contributed 15 kills, 9 digs and 5 blocks. Lauenstein was one of the primary reasons the Nittany Lions were able to contain Clemente in the first set. Emmi Sellman also continues to show why she is currently holding on the second outside hitter slot. She was 3rd in the team in scoring with 7 kills including some crucial kills to break the Oregon momentum.
Alexis Stucky set the team to a 0.346 hitting percentage. She had 45 assists in the match and also contributed 3 kills, 5 digs and 3 blocks. Jocelyn Nathan led the team in digs with 11 as she and Ava Falduto once again shared the libero jersey. Falduto provided stable passing and strong serving in this match as she kept Oregon’s receiving core on their toes. Gabby Nichols had a slow offensive day with 3 kills but had a career-high matching 9 blocks in today’s match.
The Nittany Lions led in kills (59-51) and blocks (11-5). They also played a cleaner offense with less unforced hitting errors (7-17). The Ducks led in digs (51-56), aces (3-4) and had less service errors (13-8).
With the win the Nittany Lions go up 14-5 overall and 6-3 in the B1G. This win gives the Nittany Lions a boost on the unofficial RPI as they move to #10. The Lions have another ranked matchup against #18 Indiana in Bloomington on Sunday.
Post-Match Press Conference
After the match, Coach Katie, Whitney Lauenstein and Jocelyn Nathan answered questions from the media. Below is a transcript of the questions and answers, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Opening Statement from Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley
I’m super happy for this team and the effort that they put forth. Nice to see us get better this week. That’s a very good Oregon team, and it’s nice to see us be able to finish and correct some of our errors. These two (Jocelyn Nathan and Whitney Lauenstein) played great.
Question: What was working so well for you guys on offense today?
Coach Katie: I don’t know what our passing number was, but I thought our hitters were taking great swings. I thought Stucky was moving the ball around well, and it was a total team effort.
Question: You talked about finishing and getting the job done, something that wasn’t able to happen at UCLA. What were some of the things you tweaked from that game over the weekend to now being able to finish in four tonight?
Coach Katie: I think the players made great adjustments in their skills and their positions. I think they found a way to not compound the points. It’s a game of errors, and I think we made less in a row, and that’s the start.
Question: Coach, how helpful was it to be back home at Penn State after a long trip out west last week?
Coach Katie: It’s great. We love playing at home. It was a great crowd tonight, and it was nice to see us compete and play at a high level.
Question: Oregon made kind of the reverse of what you did last week. Long trip out west, Oregon long trip out east. How helpful is it to play at home without the travel toll?
Coach Katie: Everyone’s got to do it in the league. It’s tough to travel, but I think the teams that are focused and can stay the course do a good job. It was nice to see us split last weekend.
Question: Coach, two big Dig Pink victories, from Rutgers last year and now Oregon this year. How important is it to get those statement victories, especially in the Dig Pink game?
Coach Katie: These guys are glowing out there, aren’t they, in these jerseys? It’s for a great cause, obviously. It was a nice crowd today, and I’m proud of this team.
Question: You guys got another Big Ten win. It’s a tough conference. What does it mean to have another win in this conference?
Coach Katie: We’ll take any win we can get. We’re fighting for a spot in the tournament. This is the first year for the Big Ten tournament, so putting ourselves in a great position for that. It’s nice to see us get better every match and continue to do that. We have eight more regular-season matches.
Question: Juice, how have you been able to work well in the two-libero system?
Jocelyn Nathan: It’s been fun. I kind of just get to dig balls, which is super fun for me. I think it’s been nice, and I feel like it’s been a nice change for the team, too. I think we’ve played different when we’ve had it versus when we haven’t. Whatever Coach decides is obviously the right decision, and I trust her and all the other coaches to make the right choices for games.
Questiion: Whitney, you hit .364 tonight. What was working well for you?
Whitney Lauenstein: Stucky’s a great setter, and I think that Ava (Falduto) and Haley (Burgdorf), who pass next to me, did a really good job of giving her great passes. Stucky can put the ball in the right places. I have a lot of people behind me telling me what shots are open, and the whole bench telling me what shots are open. So I didn’t just do it by myself. Everyone was telling me where the open shots were. They (Oregon) weren’t covering the donut, and we all got on that.
Question: Question for Katie or Jocelyn: What are the benefits of the two-libero system that you guys are finding right now?
Coach Katie: I think we’re trying to use everyone and their best skills. I think Juice’s defense has been tremendous, and she’s super aggressive. I think Ava’s first touch is really good. We’re just trying to use everyone and get the best out of them to find ways to score points and win.
Question: There was a big rally in that third set. I think it was 14-9. How much did that give momentum to the team that you could put that away?
Whitney Lauenstein: Was that the big hustle, the crazy long rally? Everyone just hustled and worked hard. As we see each other going for these balls, making these moves, running into the table and everything like that, it makes everyone else work hard who’s not being a part of it. I just wanted to put the ball down. I don’t know about anyone out there, but I was gassed. So I was laser-focused on getting that ball to the ground, especially after my teammates worked their butt off behind me.
Question: When the team is at its best this season, what are some of the common characteristics of your guys’ play?
Whitney Lauenstein: When we’re at our best, we’re all communicating, all working as a unit.
Jocelyn Nathan: Fearless.
Whitney Lauenstein: Yeah. Going for everything, swinging away, not thinking about the next or thinking about errors.
Jocelyn Nathan: I feel like we’re pretty unified, too. You look to the person next to you. Even today, I was like, “Gabby, go get me a block.” Next ball, she gets me a block and we win the set. Stuff like that. We’re just very unified when we’re at our best.
Question: You two both have sisters who played volleyball. What does it mean to share that with them?
Jocelyn Nathan: It’s nice. I grew up watching my older sisters play. My middle sister went to James Madison University, and my oldest sister played at a D3 school. Now I’m the last one still in college playing. It’s nice that they get to come and watch me play now. I grew up watching, so we get to have that shared thing.
Whitney Lauenstein: I have two younger sisters, so they’re still in high school. I’m sad that I’m not able to watch them in person anymore. I watch them all on Striv TV or whatever. I used to be outside in the morning with them in the summers and just bang the ball at them and pepper. I think that’s why they’re good.
Question: Do you have any advice for your sisters for college?
Whitney Lauenstein: One is going to cosmetology school. Another one is playing college volleyball. I just always tell her, “Have fun and find your people and enjoy it,” because it goes by so fast. I think that’s advice that everyone tells you, that college goes by so fast and it’s the best four years of your life. But I actually grab her and I mean it: “Have fun. Have fun on the court. Don’t lose your spark.”