Penn State bounced back from a 2-1 set deficit to take another win at home, this time against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Kennedy Martin (a season high 36 points, 34 kills, 4 block assists, 0.400 Hitting %), Maggie Mendelson (16 points, 13 kills, 6 block assists, 0.435 Hitting %) and Gabrielle Nichols (14 points, 11 kills, 4 block assists, 0.444 Hitting %) led the Nittany Lions to win in their Military Appreciation Game.
Kennedy Martin continues to show her dominance on the court as she records another match scoring more than 20 points and 20 kills, this is her 16th match with 20+ points and her 15th with 20+ kills. This puts her at 605.5 points and 532 kills which puts her within reach of breaking Jess Mruzik’s single-season record (in the rally-scoring era) of 565 kills and 639.5 points. Not only are her kill numbers impressive, she has increased her numbers in every aspect of her game from last season.
Middle blockers, Maggie Mendelson and Gabbi Nichols also had very impressive games combining for 24 kills, and 0.439 combined hitting percentage. Maggie Mendelson led the team in blocks with 6 and Addie Lyon led the team with a career-high 61 assists in the match and a team hitting percentage of 0.297.
Gillian Grimes and Ava Falduto put up good defensive numbers with 18 and 14 digs respectively. Ava Falduto also posted 2 aces. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes in every aspect of the game except for service aces (3-7) and serving errors (10-5). Passing woes seemed to have haunted the Nittany Lions this match as they struggled with passing serves from the Buckeyes, particularly Olivia Hasbook but overcame it with a mix of good blocking and excellent hitting this match.
This win puts the Nittany Lions at 15-11 overall and 9-7 in the B1G. They will face the Michigan State and Maryland in Rec Hall next weekend in the hopes of notching Coach Schumacher-Cawley’s 100th win as Penn State head coach.
Post-Match Press Conference
After the match, Coach Katie, Kennedy Martin, and Maggie Mendelson 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.
Penn State got a couple wins this weekend, right? We got soccer, football, and us. It’s great. It’s a great win at home. We showed some grit and fight there in the fourth and fifth set and found a way to win. So, thanks to Kennedy’s, 70 swings,
Question: How do you (Kennedy Martin) feel after that one?
Kennedy Martin: I feel good. Happy to help my team to victory.
Question: How does your arm feel?
Kennedy Martin: My arm is great. I think I do a good job of using my whole body to swing so my whole body is good.
Question: How does it feel for that third and fourth set to be the dagger?
Kennedy Martin: It feels nice. I’m like “this ball better be coming” because I’m a ball hog. (laughs) I better be set this ball. So, I’m happy.
Question: This question can be for all of you. But how good does it feel to get a big win like that today, after how Friday night went, and how are you guys going to carry that momentum into next weekend?
Coach Katie: Yeah, I think it’s hard to win in this conference, and anyone in this conference is a big win. And the fact that we have two more at home next weekend, It’s great! I think we had a great crowd, and obviously, it’s special to honor the military and first responders. We need to use this to go into practice this week and continue to get better.
Question: Coach, Gabrielle (Nichols) had a couple of clutch swings. What can you say about her development?
Coach Katie: I think Gabby does a good job of being available. I think she and Maggie both worked really hard in transition and found ways to score. We need to get them the ball when we’re passing well. These guys are working hard in transition, they can score. So, you know, I think Gabby and Maggie both took some big swings for us, and we’re setting up good blocks and getting some touches. They’ve been great.
Question: Maggie for you and Gabby, how do you feel your connection with Addie has gotten better throughout the season?
Maggie Mendelson: Yeah, I think game by game, it’s better. We’ve worked a lot on it in practice, and I know she’s a great setter, so it’s pretty easy to hit off her.
Question: Maggie and Kennedy, that third set, there was so much back and forth. What was their mindset throughout those last couple of points?
Kennedy Martin: Terminate. I don’t care. I’m not tipping this ball like I’m trying to take people’s heads off.
Maggie Mendelson: Just do anything we can to better each ball. Terminate.
Question: Maggie, what were some of the positives from the offense today that you noticed?
Maggie Mendelson: I thought we got a did a good job of being terminal, and a lot of people put up some big numbers. So, I thought that was cool, that even like when Kennedy got 34 kills, we got a lot of girls with big numbers too.
Question: Coach Katie, what happened on that one no call?
Coach Katie: I don’t really want to blast the referees, but no, I thought they were over on Addie (Lyon) trying to set the ball. So, I have to go back and look at it. But from where I was standing, I thought they were. I thought it should have been our ball. So, I’ll leave it at that.
Question: Coach, what did you tell your team after the third set?
Coach Katie: I think we do a lot of talking, but everyone needs to do their job and to be aggressive and to play with energy and feel the crowd and enjoy it. I think when we’re enjoying what we’re doing, we’re much better. And if we get a little tight sometimes and make multiple errors in a row, that’s not what this group is. This group needs to be relaxed and competing.
Question: Coach, going into the next match on Friday, what’s your mindset throughout this week?
Coach Katie: To get better and to send our seniors off the right way. You know, it’ll be their last time playing in Rec Hall, which is pretty crazy. Michigan State’s a very good team and Maryland despite what their record is, I think they’re playing really hard and do a great job. We need to be focused and get in the gym and get better and learn from this last weekend’s matches.
Question: Maggie, how would you describe these last two years at Penn State? And what are some of your fondest memories so far?
Maggie Mendelson: Oh, so many. I was just telling the girls that I felt like I’m still a sophomore. I feel like these last two years have flown by. All the amazing people I’ve met here, my teammates, my coaches, everybody that supports us. I think it’s just a really cool place to be, and I’m really grateful that I have got to spend two years here, three years here.
Question: Coach and Maggie, what do you think makes Kennedy (Martin) deserving of Big Ten player of the year?
Coach Katie: I think there should be no question. She’s a six-rotation player that can score anywhere, and I think defensively, she’s gotten so much better this season, and
just glad she’s on our team.
Maggie Mendelson: I don’t think anybody has stopped Kennedy once, so I think that’s a testament just to who she is, how she plays, and that she can score well. So I think that’s a pretty easy win for her.
Question: Kennedy you had, 60 kills in two matches against Ohio State. What do you think about these Big Ten rivalries compared to what you had last the last two
years (at Florida)?
Kennedy Martin: They’re fun. I think any game is fun. Like, I love this sport. So, I love to feed into it. And even though I wasn’t here last year, you can feel the energy and attention and the history of this place and the rivalries that we have with many teams in the Big Ten. So it’s always fun to take a swing at it.
Question: How would you describe the team’s resiliency this season?
Maggie Mendelson: I think we’ve done a good job of bouncing back. I think we can always do a little bit better in that department, but I feel like every day we’ve come to practice and put our best foot forward, and I think that’s what we’re going to continue to do for the next couple weeks.
Question: We saw that communication on the court, what do you guys do during the week or in practice to build that bond to, like, make you guys so good as a team.
Kennedy Martin: The coaches do a really good job of putting us in scenarios that we see without fail every weekend. And so, we really just try to take advantage of those drills that they put us in to work out any kinks that we might have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then by the time Friday comes around we are able to have our heads in a swivel and go after it.
Question: Maggie, you and Gill (Grimes) have been pepper partners for a long time. What’s your relationship like with her? And what do you enjoy most about being her teammate?
Maggie Mendelson: Me and Gill are pretty close. I feel like a lot of us in the team are really close, but so specifically her there’s nobody quite like Gill Grimes, she’s always got a lot of energy. She’s always ready to have a good time. She’s just a great human being, and I’ve really loved getting to know her.