Photo by Ethan Kasales
Kansas played Penn State tough, but the Nittany Lions prevailed in a 5-set win (25-22, 24-26, 16-25, 30-28, 15-12).
Sets 1 and 2: Uneven Play by Nittany Lions
Penn State didn’t look sharp during Set 1, trailing 17-12 before going on a 4-0 run to draw within one point. After Kansas went up by 19-17, the Nittany Lions scored three straight points (starting with a kill by Kennedy Martin, followed by an ace by Kennedy Martin, then a kill by Izzy Starck) to take the lead at 20-19. Kansas tied the score at 22-22, but Emmi Sellman put down a kill, which was followed by the rare (but fabulous) kill by a defensive specialist — in this case, Ava Falduto (although the official box score credited the kill to Addie Lyon.) Set point came on a block by Maggie Mendelson and Izzy Starck. The Nittany Lions hit .250 for the set with 6 attack errors.
The Nittany Lions also didn’t look that sharp in Set 2, this time trailing by 17-11 before fighting back for a 19-19 tie. Things looked good for Penn State when they went up 24-22 following a block by Jordan Hopp and Emmi Sellman and a kill by Maggie Mendelson (who had a huge night, with 13 kills on .650 hitting). Kansas wasn’t having it, as the Jayhawks reeled off four straight points to take the set 26-24. Selena Leban and Rhian Swanson combined for 11 kills and just one error on 17 attacks for the Jayhawks.
Set 3: Did Penn State’s wheels come off, or was Kansas firing on all cylinders?
Either the wheels started to fall off for Penn State in Set 3, or the cliche should be that Kansas started firing on all cylinders. We’re not sure, but either way, the Nittany Lions hit .207 and the Jayhawks hit .609. The math was overpowering, leading to a 25-16 win for Kansas in Set 3. With the Jayhawks now up 2 sets to 1 in the match, many Penn State fans were getting nervous.
Set 4
Set 4 was thrilling — but as one poster on the DigNittany Forum noted, although there are plenty of cardiologists on call for Penn State fans, there may not be enough psychiatrists. The Nittany Lions lulled us into a false sense of security by building a 19-14 lead, then allowed Kansas to claw its way back to grab the lead at 26-25. Maggie Mendelson came up big once again with a kill, and after trading points to a 28-28 tie, Penn State took the next two points for a 30-28 win.
“Nobody wants to be on the same court as us when we go to five.”
Set 5 was a different story — as it has been for 7 straight 5-set wins for the Nittany Lions (including this match). As Carol Jurevicius said after the match “Nobody wants to be on the same court as us when we go to five.” Emmi Sellman went on a heater (after struggling through the first four sets), with four kills on four errorless swings, including the kill for match point. With Penn State down 4-1, Kennedy Martin came through with a kill, Jordan Hopp and Carol Jurevicius combined for a block, and Jurevicius put down a kill for a 4-4 tie. After building a 13-10 lead, Penn State called a timeout following two straight points by the Jayhawks. Whatever Coach Katie said to the team, it worked, as kills by Jurevicius and Sellman closed out the match for a 15-12 win by Penn State.
Caroline Jurevicius hit .393 for the match, with 14 kills, and was named the match MVP by the AVCA. Any doubts that she can handle the switch from right side to OH can be put to rest (John Cook compared the move to switching from running back to linebacker in football). Kennedy Martin topped Penn State with 18 kills, adding 5 digs and 3 blocks. Emmi Sellman chipped in with 16 kills with 12 digs for her first double-double at Penn State. Jordan Hopp registered 8 kills and 4 blocks. Izzy Starck also had a double-double, with 53 assists and 16 digs. Gillian Grimes and Ava Falduto each had 12 digs, and Jocelyn Nathan posted 4 digs.
Kansas excelled at blocking throughout the match, with 15.5 to 7 for the Nittany Lions. 6’7″ Jovana Zelenovic (#9) was key, totaling 10 blocks and 13 kills. Freshman Selena Leban registered a match-high 20 kills on .395 hitting.
(Complete match stats are below the post-match press conference and match videos).
Post-Match Press Conference
(Penn State starts at 7:49 of the video)
Match Videos