UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sophomore Jonni Parker tallied 14 kills with an exceptionally efficient .667 hitting percentage to lead Penn State women's volleyball to a season-opening 3-0 win over Hofstra in a non-conference match Friday night at Rec Hall. Parker added seven digs and two aces as the Nittany Lions completed the sweep with scores of 25-13, 25-19, 25-18.
The match was the first for the Nittany Lions at the Penn State Classic. Wichita State opened the event with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-12) win over Holy Cross. The tournament continues Saturday when Penn State takes on Holy Cross at 10 a.m.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Hord was solid at the net for the Nittany Lions, recording five blocks and six kills with a .400 hitting percentage. Redshirt senior Tori Gorrell finished with six kills and three blocks, while sophomore Allyson Cathey contributed nine kills.
Cathey showed improvement throughout the match as she shook off a negative hitting percentage through the first two sets to turn in a fantastic third set. She finished strong with six kills on eight attempts and just one error to help Penn State clinch the victory.
Sophomore Gabby Blossom made her second career start at setter and did her part with 29 assists and seven digs. Senior Kendall White led all players with eight digs.
Hofstra, the defending champion in the Colonial Athletic Association, was paced by Laura Masciullo with nine kills and six digs. Masciullo is a two-time first team All-CAA honoree and was the MVP of the CAA Tournament last season.
The Nittany Lions held the Pride to .149 while hitting .417 themselves.
Playing in front of a crowd of 3,324, Penn State started fast on its way to an easy win in the first set. The Nittany Lions forced an early Hofstra timeout after going up 7-2 on a block by Hord and Gorrell. After taking an 18-8 lead on another block by Hord and Gorrell, they kept a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The second set was much more competitive as Hofstra led 16-15 at one point. Penn State responded with a 4-0 run that included a kill and an ace by Cathey and two kills by Parker, and never trailed again.
Cathey and Parker took that momentum into the third set, combining for 11 kills.
Penn State won its eighth consecutive season opener and improved to 35-6 in season openers under head coach Russ Rose.
In addition to the morning match against Holy Cross, the Nittany Lions will play Wichita State on Saturday at 8 p.m.
