No. 17 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Iowa State 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-23) Friday night in front of 4,364 at Rec Hall.

Jonni Parker surpassed 1,000 career kills and finished with a match-high 12 in the win over the Cyclones, accomplishing the feat with her fourth kill of the night. Parker hit .333 and added eight digs, three assists, and three blocks.

Penn State greats Haleigh Washington and Micha Hancock were honored between the second and third sets and received a thunderous round of applause from the home crowd. Washington and Hancock showed off their Olympic gold medals and spoke to the fans in attendance, thanking them for their support over the years before the duo flies to Italy for their pro season with Igor Gorgonzola Novara.

Adanna Rollins, Erika Pritchard, and Kaitlyn Hord had seven kills apiece for the Nittany Lions, who hit .560 in a dominant second set. Hord led all players with eight total blocks. Gabby Blossom did a little bit of everything against Iowa State and tallied a match-high 32 assists and two of Penn State’s six aces. Sophomore middle blocker Allie Holland added five kills and has proven a solid addition to the starting lineup.

Jenna Hampton put together another strong showing with a team-high nine digs, five assists, and two aces. Russ Rose called upon defensive specialists Cassie Kuerschen, Maddy Bilinovic, and Keatan Broughton to contribute against the Cyclones. AC Fitzpatrick and Anastasiya Kudryashova also came off the bench and combined for three kills. Full stats can be found here.

The Nittany Lions (3-1) return to Rec Hall for a doubleheader Saturday to wrap up the Penn State Classic when they host Oregon State at 11 a.m. and LSU at 8 p.m. The Tigers lost to Iowa State in four sets before beating the Beavers 3-1 earlier Friday.

Rose’s opening statement:

“I thought it was a great first match at home. The energy of the band and the student section was outstanding. I thought the first two games we played great. We served and passed well. We’re doing a lot of things that were what we wanted to do in the game plan. The third game, we started a little slow and they did a nice job. We had to battle to get back into it and get a win. It was nice to get that first [home] match out of the way. Again, there are a number of things we need to work on, but certainly I thought Gabby moved the ball around well and Jonni had another great night hitting.”

Gabby, what were some of your positive takeaways from tonight’s match?

“Number one, Jonni had her 1,000th kill, which was phenomenal. I knew she had four more, and was I about to go four-for-four? Yes, but I didn’t. I held back. I really wanted to. But that’s freaking incredible. I’m so happy for her. Obviously, she deserves it. She’s great every night, but that’s huge for any hitter, and I’m lucky I get to set her. I thought the first two games we were really, really good. I thought the energy was good. I don’t think we came out in the third set with that same energy, that same intensity, but to bounce back is always huge. To know you can come back is a positive, and the crowd was fantastic. It is so fun to be back at home post-COVID. The band is amazing. Our student section is amazing. Just the fans in general. It was really fun to be home and it’s always nice to win at home. I also thought we passed really well.”

Jonni, what was it like playing in front of this crowd?

“Being in Rec Hall is an unbelievable experience. Our wRECking Crew, our pep band, just the fans and community here at Penn State is like no other, so it’s nice to be in front of these guys again and playing for them. It’s incredible. It’s a privilege to be able to play here in Rec Hall in front of our fans. It’s nice to be back and have that support from our community and be able to play in front of them and for them, so I think it’s incredible to be back here in front of everybody.”

Gabby, how would you assess some of the younger players’ performances tonight?

“I thought they were good. I think, in order for you to win, everyone has to be playing well at some point. I think Cassie is really aggressive and makes great plays. I thought Allie was up in the air and gave us some great swings. I think I need to feed her the ball more. She had some great blocks. She had great serves when we needed to go on a run. She has a great intensity about her. I thought AC came in and was really good. She brings a whole new level of energy to the court when we need it, and that is just a super positive thing. I thought Maddy Bilinovic came in and served some great balls. I’m just happy with our young people. I think they bring energy and excitement. Obviously, this is all new for them, and I don’t think they looked nervous or played scared at all. I thought they came in and made pretty big plays.”

Jonni, what are some of your favorite things about playing with Gabby and what are her best qualities as a player?

“Gabby’s great on and off the court. She’s got my back no matter what and I can always trust her. She always has faith in me, and I have faith in her. Over the course of four years now, we’ve just built that connection, so we know we can always be honest with each other and go to each other for help. Communication is always there, and like I said, she has my back, so she’s always there to support me.”

Rose chimed in:

“And I’ll be a big fan if they start digging balls on that side of the court.”

Coach, four matches in, what are some of your main takeaways so far and what are some things you think the team still needs to improve on?

“We need to get more production from someone other than Jonni. Jonni is carrying way too much of a load offensively when we’ve got other people who should be able to do that. I was happy with the last swings of Adanna for match point and the swing before that by Erika deep into the one corner. We have to eliminate some errors in certain areas, but I think we have some kids who play hard, and that’s always what our goal is. It was great for the people here tonight to have a chance to see Haleigh and Micha, because they mean so much to the program. I thought the players were celebrating watching it instead of being focused on what they need to focus on, but it’s easy for me to say because I’ve seen it before.”

Gabby, what was Haleigh and Micha’s message to the team and what was it like having them here?

“Number one, having them here is incredible. I think we were fangirling almost as much probably as the crowd was fangirling them, but those are the players we grew up watching, and part of the reason we wanted to come to Penn State. They were the ones winning national championships before we came here. Honestly, they were just super cool. Their message is, ‘You play hard every day. You go hard every day.’ That’s just what Penn State volleyball is and that’s, again, why we came to Penn State. Yeah, the most unbelievable experience. The fact that they won gold is the coolest thing in the world. We are just lucky that they’re alums here and they can come back and talk to us and share the knowledge they’ve learned over their careers. Just super cool. Still at a loss for words.”

Gabby, what was it like playing in front of a home crowd again of 4,000-plus?

“We always say we have the best fans in the country. It’s unbelievable. I think sometimes you take it for granted. Our first couple years, it was just what was expected. We had the band, we had the fans, and they’re amazing. Last year, you don’t get that, and you realize how much you miss them. Games like tonight, when we were down five points [in the third set], being at home, having the crowd involved, it just brings a whole new energy to the court. We’re just super thankful for the fans we have. We love them and it truly makes Rec Hall one of our favorite places in the world.”