COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The eighth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team upped its winning streak to seven matches with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-22) win over Maryland in a Big Ten match Saturday at the Xfinity Center. The Nittany Lions, who sit in second place in the conference standings, moved to 16-3 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten.
Maryland dropped to 12-10 overall and 4-6 in the conference with its second loss to Penn State this season. The Lions won their 25th consecutive match in the series.
Jonni Parker and Tori Gorrell did a large chunk of the damage as Penn State pulled away early. Parker finished with 14 kills, one ace, and two blocks, while Gorrell went for 10 kills on .353 hitting. Gorrell's 10 kills all came in the first two sets. She entered the final set with a .615 hitting percentage.
Gorrell got off to a fast start with six kills on .714 hitting in set one as Penn State rolled to the 25-19 win. The Lions took the lead for good at 4-3 following a kill by Gorrell. Parker matched Gorrell with six kills in the set, including one from the back row for set point.
It was more of the same for the Lions in set two as Parker added five more kills and Gorrell tallied four. Parker again clinched the set with a kill from the back row. It was the team's 16th of the set on .375 hitting.
The third set was the only close one of the match as It featured 10 ties and four lead changes. Penn State used a 4-0 run to take a 13-11 lead only to have Maryland come back after a timeout to take a 15-14 advantage. The Lions used a 4-0 run that was capped by an ace from Keeton Holcomb to retake the lead and never trailed again.
While Maryland didn't lead for the rest of the set, they didn't make it easy either. The Terrapins tied it 18-all, 21-all, and 22-all. Following an attack error by the Terps, Penn State closed the match with back-to-back blocks. Lauren Clark and Gray teamed up for the first one, and Parker joined Gray for the match-clinching block.
The Lions finished with a six to five advantage in blocks, upping their record to 16-0 this season when they finish with more or the same amount of blocks than their opponent.
Kaitlyn Hord had her usual efficient performance for Penn State, tallying seven kills on .538 hitting in addition to four total blocks. Freshman Lauren Clark made her first career start and finished with six kills and four digs, while Gray matched her in kills with six.
Kendall White recorded 12 digs, giving her double-digits for the 16th time this season. She is averaging 4.8 digs/set over the last four matches. Jenna Hampton gave the Lions a solid duo in the back row, finishing with 11 digs. Keeton Holcomb added five.
Gabby Blossom took care of the setting duties, totaling 40 assists and six digs. She guided the Lions to a .291 hitting percentage.
Katie Myers was Maryland's standout player against Penn State for the second time this season, posting nine kills on .444 hitting. She had 12 kills on .435 hitting in a five-set loss to the Lions two weeks ago.
Penn State takes its winning streak on the road next weekend as the Lions play at Iowa on Friday at 8 p.m. (ET), and at No. 5 Nebraska on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (ET). The match against the Cornhuskers will air on the Big Ten Network.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.