The Nittany Lions earns their second win the B1G over the Iowa Hawkeyes in a 4-set match: 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-19. Kennedy Martin led the Nittany Lions with 29.5 points (24 kills, 0.526 hitting percentage, 4 aces, 3 blocks). Outside Hitters Whitney Lauenstein (13 kills, 2 blocks) and Haley Burgdorf (11 kills, 1 block) contributed 14 and 11.5 points respectively.
After a tough outing against the number 1 team in the country, Penn State was looking for a strong against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The match did not start as the Nittany Lions intended. The Hawkeyes were taking advantage of the block and defense early on leading a 22-25 set loss for the Nittany Lions.
After the first set, the Nittany Lions looked determined to defend their home court against the Hawkeyes. Kennedy Martin set a season-high in points (29.5), kills (24), service aces (4) and digs (14). Her connection with setter Alexis Stucky has grown remarkably through out the season. Martin in the past few games has shown the variety in pace and location with her offense. Martin led the team in points, kills, aces and digs in this match. Notably, this was the first match this season that Martin pulled out the hybrid topspin which greatly increased service pressure on the Hawkeyes.
The outside hitters also had a good outing in this match. Whitney Lauenstein follows up her strong performance in the previous match with 13 kills and 2 blocks and freshman Haley Burgdorf earned her first double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. Burgdorf also led the team in hitting percentage with 0.588. Setter Alexis Stucky had a season-high 54 assists and led the team to a 0.314 hitting percentage. Stucky made excellent decisions involving all 5 hitters on the court. Middle hitters Gabrielle Nichols and Kendall Northern contributed 8 points a piece.
The Lions had a large lead over the Hawkeyes in kills (63-38) but was slightly offset by the total errors made by the blue & white (40-26). Penn State also led in digs (48-36) and service aces (7-4).
The Nittany Lions now go up to 10-4 for the season and 2-2 in the B1G. The Nittany Lions will stay at home next week as they face Northwestern (10/9) and #22 Washington (10/11).
Post-Match Press Conference
After the match, Coach Katie, Haley Burgdorf, 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.
It’s nice to win. I thought we recovered after the first set and made some great choices, great plays, and thought these two played really hard and well.
Question: Coach, what can you say about how the two-libero system helped you guys out tonight?
Coach Katie: I think we’re just trying to use everyone’s strengths. I think Ava’s a tremendous passer, and Juice has stepped up defensively, so it’s nice to switch them in and out and know that they’re both really doing their job and helping us score points.
Question: Can you talk about Kennedy Martin’s top spin serve and how that worked well tonight?
Coach Katie: Kennedy, when she gets after it, man, she hits the crap out of it. I think Ken’s been working on her serve the last two seasons and is really aggressive, and she’s got the green light to go for it.
Question: Haley, you and Alexis (Stucky) had a pretty strong connection tonight. What was working well for you two?
Haley Burgdorf: I think just being really confident up there and knowing I can take any swing, getting a good set from Stucky. Obviously, if I don’t have it, I need to control the ball and put it in a spot that’s going to make them scramble.
I was just swinging at their hands, deep corner, and we knew that hands were going to work. Obviously, the corners and the seams in the court were going to work, so that’s why it was working.
Question: Gabby, were there any adjustments you made from the Nebraska match to today that helped you?
Gabby Nichols: I would say just working extra hard in transition. Even if I’m not getting set, I know I’m still helping my team by holding the block, opening up seams for people like Haley, who had a fantastic night. So just always controlling what I can control, no matter if I’m getting set or not.
Question: Coach, it seems like the whole team is comfortable saying some things in timeouts. How important is that, to have people feel comfortable enough to speak up in time outs?
Coach Katie: It’s great. They know the game plan, and it’s nice to see the ones that aren’t in maybe seeing some things differently and helping their teammates out. I think they do a good job of helping one another and learning as the game goes.
Question: What were some adjustments you guys made to come back from dropping the first set?
Coach Katie: I think defensively we were much better. We were digging balls, blocking balls, keeping the ball in play a little bit more. Iowa, they’re a good team. Every team in this conference has players and competes hard. Any win we can get in this league is a great win.
Question: Haley, what are some things you’ve learned about Big Ten volleyball in the early start of the season?
Haley Burgdorf: I’ve learned that it’s a very hard conference, and you just gotta trust yourself and trust your team. Everyone has your back. The six people around you have your back, and the people on the bench have your back. Giving advice constantly is helpful, but just knowing it’s a hard conference, you have to be confident in it to play.
Question: Gabrielle, what are some things that Kendall (Northern) has done well so far?
Gabrielle Nichols: I think Kendall has done a great job of being herself. She has been gaining so much more confidence in these last two games, and you’ve seen it. She challenges me and Ryla in practice all the time. She’s supposed to be in this conference. She’s here for a reason, and I think that she’s just showing the world why.
Question: Coach, it looked like Iowa was using the block a lot to their advantage tonight. How can you guys look back on that in film?
Coach Katie: I think that’s good coaching and good play by Iowa. Going high hands, it’s a tough skill to do, and they did a good job at it. For us, it’s being a little bit low and aggressive and maybe being in a better spot in front of our hitters.