No. 18 Penn State women’s volleyball lost to No. 14 Stanford 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 24-26, 7-15) Saturday evening to wrap up the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.

Despite Jonni Parker’s season-high 21 kills and five Nittany Lions reaching double-digit digs, Penn State saw its 2-1 lead evaporate and didn’t have much of an answer for the Cardinal in the fifth set. Caitie Baird and Kendall Kipp combined for 45 kills to lead Stanford offensively, while Elena Oglivie had a match-high 27 digs.

Both setters were impressive in Penn State’s first five-set match of the season, as Gabby Blossom had a season-high 53 assists and 18 digs, which led the Nittany Lions defensively, while Kami Miner had 56 assists and 15 digs for the Cardinal.

Stanford improved to 14-12 in the all-time series against Penn State with the victory. Both teams had four players record double-digit kills in a match that lasted 2:41. Kaitlyn Hord and Erika Pritchard tallied 11 kills apiece, while Adanna Rollins added 10 of her own in the loss. Anastasiya Kudryashova put together another strong performance off the bench with seven kills and zero attack errors.

Freshman defensive specialist Cassie Kuerschen had a career-high 11 digs against the Cardinal, further showcasing her ability to perform under pressure in her first season on campus. Kuerschen has been a significant contributor in Penn State’s backcourt throughout non-conference play. Senior libero Jenna Hampton had 14 digs and seven assists. Full stats can be found here.

The Nittany Lions (5-3) will have a chance to regroup during practice this week before traveling to Morgantown, West Virginia, for a doubleheader Friday against Robert Morris and West Virginia. The pair of matches at WVU Coliseum mark the end of non-conference action before Penn State travels to Rutgers to open its Big Ten schedule on September 24.