After a slow start in first set, Penn State sweeps Rutgers (25-23, 25-19, 25-13) for the 22nd consecutive time since 2001. The Nittany Lions, clad in the original colors of pink and black, were led by Junior RS Kennedy Martin ( 19.5 points, 16 kills, .517 hitting – a season high), Fr. MB Gabrielle Nichols (12 points, 10 kills, .421 hitting), and RS So. OH Caroline Jurevicius (9.5 points, 7 kills and .238 hitting percentage). Despite 15 serving errors, the Nittany Lions scored 20 of the 25 points per set (45 kills, 5 aces and 10 blocks) to hand Rutgers their 8th conference loss.
Nichols, regarded by Coach Schumacher-Cawley as one of the best blockers in the team, had her first start in her college career and impressed with 10 kills, 4 block assists and a 0.421 hitting percentage. Martin adds 16 more kills to her already impressive 347 kills in the season, which puts her at joint 3rd in total kills in all of the NCAA. Martin has also increased her production from last season in digs/set, aces/set and blocks/set.
Jurevicius also had a good outing with 7 kills, 1 ace and 3 block assists which follows up her great performance against Oregon. Addie Lyon (31 assists, 2 kills, 2 block assists) is also showing improvement throughout the season with spreading around the offense, with each starter scoring at least 4 kills and a team hitting percentage of 0.413. Ava Falduto (7 digs, 1 service ace) led the team in digs while Jordan Hopp (5 kills, 6 block assists, 0.714 hitting percentage) led the team in blocks.
With the win, Penn State’s overall record is 12-7 (6-3 in the B1G). Rutgers sits at 10-11 and 1-8 in the B1G. Penn State will next face Ohio State on Sunday.
Post-Match Press Conference
After the match, Coach Katie, Jordan Hopp, and Gabrielle Nichols answered questions from the media. Below is a transcript of the questions and answers, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Opening Statement by Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.
Thanks for being here and supporting the team as always. And it’s nice to win. It’s nice to win in three after a shaky start in the first set. But, you know, I thought the team responded well, and did much better. And I thought these two played great. And, yeah, it’s a great team win.
Question: Coach, you guys were down 20-14, and you guys went on to the 11 on the next 14 Points. How did you guys do that? Like, what message did you send the team when you were down?
Coach Katie: Rutgers plays hard. I think they’re coached well. Abby [Detering], you know, she’s a Penn State alum, and I think she brings a lot to their program. And I think that the team kind of settled in. And, I mean, we made so many errors in that, in that first set, and that first run of points that, we need to give ourselves a chance, and keeping the ball in play on the serve, and being extra aggressive in defense. And I thought everyone stepped up and contributed, and we found ways to score.
Question: Any update on Mendelson, or was it just rest tonight?
Coach Katie: Just rest, yep. Gabby’s Mad Dog, as I call her, put her in there. Gabby had a great performance, and I know, I don’t have to tell her that, because she knows she goes hard every day in practice, and so it’s not a surprise that she did what she did tonight.
Question: Gabby, for you. How did it feel to get the start tonight?
Gabby Nichols: It was a magical experience. My mom was in the crowd, so I had a lot of butterflies. But I think even having her with me, I look up to my captain and my fellow middle blocker a lot. So I was ready, and I just enjoyed all the butterflies and just all the excitement that came from the start.
Question: Question for Jordan, how have you seen Gabrielle progress throughout the season, and now, getting her start tonight?
Jordan Hopp: Gabby does a really good job at, being hard on herself and, like, pushing herself every day. And I told her before, like, she’s way too hard on herself, but, it shows and it proves that she knows what she’s doing and she can step into that role. And I know we see her a lot too, even when Maggie’s starting, she comes in and steps into a huge blocking role for us. So, like she (Coach Katie) says, like, we’re not surprised.
Question: Coach, it was the annual Dig Pink game. Can you speak about what Dig Pink means to you?
Coach Katie: I think it was great to see all the pink in the stands (laughs). No, I think everyone’s affected by whether it’s breast cancer or some sort of cancer, and I think it’s, it’s great to recognize that and to continue to raise awareness. Whatever money we can raise to help research and The Side-Out foundation is really special, and we need to keep pushing research and so that people that after me that are getting this disease, that the medicine’s better. And it’s nice to see the pink despite the unfortunate case, but I’m happy that we’re able to support this cause. And, you know, like I said, help people along the way.
Question: For either the players, could you guys speak about how the crowd really got into the Dig Pink and what it means for you guys to see them coming out for such an occasion?
Gabby Nichols: I think I’m biased. We have the best student section in the world. I think their energy really does help us, and we don’t take that for granted.
Jordan Hopp: I think, to add on to that, coming here, it’s a really family-oriented culture that Penn State has. So like, everyone’s doing it. I think she’s not going to talk about herself, but I’m going to talk about her (Coach Katie). People are doing it for her, and we just love to see the support that we get from everyone.
Question: For either the players, what are your thoughts on the new uniforms?
Gabby Nichols: I like them!
Jordan Hopp: I think they’re pretty cool. Don’t you? I think they’re cool. I like them. I hope we can get to wear them maybe another time, hopefully not just the one time. So for sure, I’m definitely a big fan of these.
Question: For the players, the block seemed to be improved tonight. Why do you think that was?
Jordan Hopp: We worked so hard this week on block lineups and closing and hand placement, and we really dialed it in. It was a lot of work, and it was hard and it was stressful at times, but I think it showed that if you put the work in, it reflects in the match outcome.
Question: Gabby, how did it feel to get that last kill?
Gabby Nichols: I felt just so grateful for the opportunity to just play for not only a good cause, but really, I’m very family-oriented myself. So getting that game in front of my mother, it was just like I got that for her.
Question: Coach you mentioned that the first set was kind of plagued by, at least the first part, by service errors on your side. How do you guys go about cleaning that up, especially at the start of games?
Coach Katie: Yeah. I mean, I think we have to be a little bit more focused in warm ups and on the first whistle, kind of be a little bit more locked into what’s going on and attack the game, instead of waiting around for a few points. I want the girls to serve aggressive, and so I can’t say, “Hey, serve really tough, but don’t miss”, right? We work on serving really aggressive, but I think it’s just being a little bit mindful of the last few points, maybe that we’ve missed on service errors that you need to keep the ball in play.
Question: Coach, it was evident that Jill’s energy was high as usual. Tonight, can you speak about how she impacts the game, even outside of statistics?
Coach Katie: Yeah, she flies around out there. She’s saying crazy stuff all the time – I don’t know what she’s saying half the time (laughs). No, I think she’s high energy. And, you know, Jill wants to win and wants to help her teammates. And she’s a blast to have here.
Question: Coach entering today, Rutgers led the conference in aces – they only had two tonight. What do you think of the service receive?
Coach Katie: It’s something we talk about every day. We serve and pass every day, and I think our passers are very good. And it’s something that they work on and are super focused on. So, you know, Jill, Ava, Emmy, Juice. It’s something that they do every day and I think working together, and I think it’s gotten much better.
Question: For the players, Addie led the offense to over .400 hitting percentage. What was she doing well today?
Jordan Hopp: She was doing her job, doing what she does in practice. Giving us high hittable balls that we can move around and hit pretty much every part of the court.
Question: What did you think of her little over the back dump there?
Jordan Hopp: I love it. I want her to be more offensive. I think undersized setters are very underrated for their ability to score. I think she has all the tools and the vision and IQ to score a lot more. So I wanted to do it more.
Coach Katie: I agree.
Question: Gabrielle, what are some things you’ve learned from Jordan the other seniors, just throughout the season?
Gabby Nichols: What have I not learned from Jordan? With a person like Jordan in front of you, I feel like we compete in practice, but we still love each other. So it’s like we push each other to be better every day and I couldn’t ask for a better captain to come under and just for this to be my freshman year, I couldn’t ask for a better senior.
Question: Marin (Collins) was suited up tonight. That’s pretty impressive for her to be able to come back so quickly. What was it like to see that?
Coach Katie: Yeah, she’s cleared to go and has been doing her rehab and is healthy. She’s slowly getting back into it in practice. So it’s nice to have her back healthy.
Question: And for the players, what’s that like seeing her just get back to playing so quickly?
Jordan Hopp: It’s crazy how fast her recovery was. And I think we can thank our staff, who has been helping her get through that, it’s just amazing. And for her to overcome her injury, It’s really heartwarming to watch her start getting back in volleyball.
Gabby Nichols: It just shows her resilience coming through that obviously it’s a whole other mental game that comes with injury, so I think she’s handling it with a lot of grace. And I really liked having her back here, supporting us in in the pink.
Question: For the players, looking forward to the (NCAA) championships’ angle. What are you guys putting on implementing to succeed?
Coach Katie: Good question.
Gabby Nichols: I think 1% better one day at a time, working, keep building and building until one day we’ll be unstoppable.
Jordan Hopp: We had a team goal the other day at practice, and it was relentless pursuit. And I think we can do a lot better at that, never giving up on any type of ball and always being, she (Gabby Nichols) said, being able to get 1% better.
Question: How does the game plan look for Ohio State getting into Sunday?
Coach Katie: I think that for us tomorrow, we’ll come watch film before we leave, and we’ll get on the plane tomorrow. Regardless of what their record is, I say the same thing. Every team in this conference has players and competes and playing at home is always a little bit more comfortable for teams. So we need to get our rest and be focused and compete from the first whistle.
Question: Coach at one point in the third set, there are four freshmen on the court. What was that like?
Coach Katie: Geez was there? Yeah, it’s exciting. I mean, I never really look at it like that, but, you know, I think our freshmen have done a great job competing and getting better and pushing themselves and their teammates to be better. So it’s nice to get some people some playing time and to be comfortable, because we’re going to need everyone in order to be successful.
Box Score
Penn State Stats
| # | Player | SP | K | E | TA | % | A | E | SA | SE | BS | BA | BE | DIG | BHE | RE | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Kennedy Martin | 3 | 16 | 1 | 29 | 0.517 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19.5 |
| 8 | Gabrielle Nichols | 3 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 0.421 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 14 | Caroline Jurevicius | 3 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 0.238 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9.5 |
| 5 | Jordan Hopp | 3 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0.714 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 13 | Emmi Sellman | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0.182 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | Addie Lyon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0.500 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Ava Falduto | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Alexis Ewing | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Gillian Grimes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Karis Willow | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Jocelyn Nathan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Lexi Gin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Ava Jurevicius | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 45 | 7 | 92 | 0.413 | 39 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 60 | ||
Rutgers Stats
| # | Player | SP | K | E | TA | % | A | E | SA | SE | BS | BA | BE | DIG | BHE | RE | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Aspen Maxwell | 3 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 0.030 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 |
| 9 | Natalie Robinson | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 |
| 8 | Lexi Visintine | 3 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 0.176 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 1 | Zora Hardison | 3 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 22 | Tara Garvey | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | -0.083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Lily Bolen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 17 | Avery Jesewitz | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Jenna DeLaMater | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Alleigh Dutton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Kaila Kalama-Bajet | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Lauren Wilcock | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 30 | 17 | 90 | 0.144 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 37 | ||