EVANSTON, Ill. – Jonni Parker, Tori Gorrell, Serena Gray, Kaitlyn Hord, and Allyson Cathey each hit .400 or better with at least eight kills as No. 8 Penn State swept Northwestern 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-15) in a Big Ten women's volleyball match Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Nittany Lions hit .396 as a team while improving to 21-4 overall and 14-2 in the Big Ten. It was the team's 12th win in the past 13 matches. The Wildcats saw their record dip to 11-17 overall and 2-14 in the conference.
Gray and Hord, both sophomore middle blockers, put up matching attack numbers for Penn State, each finishing with 10 kills on .500 hitting. Hord added four blocks while Gray contributed two.
At the pins, Parker recorded a team-high 13 kills on .400 hitting while adding five digs and an ace. Gorrell hit .450 with 11 kills and two blocks, while Cathey came through with eight kills on .462 hitting.
The back row also played well for Penn State, led by Kendall White with 13 digs. That gives her 1,889 for her career, putting her 69 away from passing Kaleena Walters for the program record. Gabby Blossom added eight digs in addition to 42 assists, while Keeton Holcomb registered four digs.
Nia Robinson paced Northwestern with 12 kills. The Wildcats were held to .138 hitting.
Penn State hasn't lost a set to Northwestern since 2015, running its streak to 21 consecutive sets.
The Lions are back on the road for their next two matches, starting with a match at Indiana on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
