UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Jonni Parker and Serena Gray combined for 31 kills and each hit over .400 to lead No. 8 Penn State to a 3-1 (25-13, 25-27, 25-10, 25-18) win over Indiana in Big Ten women's volleyball action Friday night at Rec Hall.
Penn State snapped a three-match skid to improve to 3-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. The Lions improved to 3-0 at Rec Hall this season and are now 56-1 in the all-time series against Indiana. The Hoosiers dropped to 2-7 overall, 2-7 Big Ten.
Parker hit .432 with 18 kills, three aces and seven digs to help the Lions get the four-set win. All six of the team's matches this season have gone at least four sets. Gray hit .409 with 13 kills and four total blocks, including two solo blocks. Anastasiya Kudryashova joined the pair in double-digits with 10 kills.
Penn State was dominant in all but one set. The Lion hit .538 on their way to a 12-point win in set one, held Indiana to a -.161 hitting percent in a 15-point win in set three, and hit .567 in a seven-point victory in set four.
Parker played a key role in all of those set wins, tallying at least five kills and hitting better than .400 in each of them. She hit .750 with six kills and no errors on eight swings in the opening set.
The Lions hit .347 as a team while holding the Hoosiers to a .074 clip. They finished with a 57-40 advantage in kills, 5-3 in aces, 51-44 in digs and 10-2 in blocks.
Kaitlyn Hord hit .571 with eight kills and four blocks. Gabby Blossom posted her fourth-straight double-double with 44 assists and 10 digs, while Jenna Hampton led the team with 11 digs and added six assists. Maddy Bilinovic and Annie Cate Fitzpatrick chipped in with eight digs apiece.
Indiana was led by Tommi Stocham with 15 kills and 10 digs.
Penn State welcomes Indiana back to Rec Hall for a second match on Saturday at 6 p.m. The contest will stream on Big Ten Network+.
The Lions three losses this season have come to two unbeaten teams. Minnesota improved to 9-0 on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Nebraska. Ohio State upped its record to 8-0 with a 3-1 win over Illinois.
