MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 8 Penn State didn't get the fast starts that propelled it to two wins over Illinois last weekend as the Nittany Lions fell in a closely-contested Big Ten women's volleyball match at No. 5 Minnesota on Saturday. The Gophers came out on top 3-1 (29-27, 23-25, 25-23, 25-18) at Maturi Pavilion to improve to 7-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten. The Lions dropped to 2-1, 2-1 B1G.
The rust showed early as Penn State had its full lineup for the first time this year, including two starters making their season debut. The Lions fell behind 4-0 to start the match, but found their groove as the set went on. Eventually, Minnesota came out on top to snag the early momentum, winning 29-27 on their fifth attempt at set point.
That was the first of three straight sets that were decided by just two points. Penn State again found itself down early in set two, this time 5-0, before battling back to tie it at 15-all following back-to-back kills from Minnesota-native Lauren Clark. The set was tied four more times before the Gophers finished it off to go up 2-0 in the match. Serena Gray had a kill to stave off one set point attempt, but Minnesota secured the set victory with a kill by Taylor Landfair the following play.
Behind six kills by Jonni Parker, Penn State was the winner of a close set three, 25-23. The largest lead of the set by either team was a 7-3 advantage by Minnesota. The Lions led 2-1 and then didn't lead again until going up 21-20 during a 5-0 run that resulted in a 23-20 lead. Parker had three kills during the run and Hord tallied two blocks, one solo and one block assist. The Lions went up 24-22 on a kill by Hord and clinched the set two points later on a kill by Parker.
The fourth set was close most of the way with Minnesota taking an 18-17 lead. The Gophers then scored seven of the final eight points to keep their unbeaten record intact.
Parker was busy on the night, finishing with 18 kills on 53 swings. She added two aces and 13 digs to complete her second-straight double-double. Hord was great in the middle totaling 11 kills on .417 hitting and seven total blocks. She has 18 total blocks over the last two matches. Gray joined the pair in double-digits with 11 kills.
Gabby Blossom made her season debut had a recorded a double-double with 47 assists and 17 digs. She shared the team lead in digs with Jenna Hampton, who made her season debut as the team's starting libero. Maddy Bilinovic added 10 digs, while Annie Cate Fitzpatrick finished with eight kills and nine digs.
Minnesota's Stephanie Samedy is the reigning AVCA National Player of the Week and continued her great play for the Gophers, posting a double-double of 23 kills and 11 digs. Regan Pittman contributed 10 kills and seven blocks, while Melani Shaffmaster finished with 49 assists, 17 digs and six kills.
Team stats were fairly even across the aboard, with the big difference being in hitting percentage. Minnesota hit .250, while Penn State hit .174.
Penn State vs. Minnesota was the first matchup of the season featuring two Big Ten teams ranked in the top 10 of the national rankings. The Lions and Gophers will play again on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.