Match Recap

No. 8 Penn State women’s volleyball beat Michigan 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22) Friday night in front of 4,870 fans at the Crisler Center for its fourth straight win in conference play.

Kaitlyn Hord led the Nittany Lions with 16 kills and six total blocks in Ann Arbor, while Jonni Parker added 15 kills, 11 digs, a match-high three aces, and two total blocks. Hord showed why she’s one of the nation’s most efficient hitters with a .419 clip against the Wolverines.

Sophomore setter Gabby Blossom played one of her best matches of the season Friday night. She finished with 51 assists, seven digs, two kills, two aces, and two total blocks. A few days after earning her sixth career Big Ten defensive player of the week honors, Kendall White turned in another outstanding performance with a match-high 21 digs. If that wasn’t enough, White notched her second kill of the season as well.

Jenna Hampton and Keeton Holcomb also had impressive defensive showings for the Nittany Lions in their four-set win. Hampton tallied a season-high 12 digs, while Holcomb chipped in eight more and an ace. Tori Gorrell continued her strong play of late with 10 kills on a .308 hitting percentage and four total blocks. Serena Gray and Allyson Cathey combined for 13 more kills to round out Penn State’s offense.

Michigan actually outhit Russ Rose’s Nittany Lions .272 to .228, but Penn State owned an 8-4 advantage in aces and a 9-7 lead in blocks once Gorrell closed things out with her final kill of the night. Sydney Wetterstrom and Paige Jones led the Wolverines with 16 kills apiece. Penn State improved to 52-5 in its all-time series against Michigan.

The Nittany Lions (13-3, 6-1 Big Ten) head to East Lansing Sunday for a 2 p.m. televised match on ESPN against Michigan State. Penn State swept the Spartans earlier this season on Sept. 25 in Rec Hall.