UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 17th-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team finished off an unblemished weekend while winning the Penn State Classic with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-21) win over LSU on Saturday night at Rec Hall. The Lions improved to 5-1 following their three matches at the event, which also included sweeps over Iowa State on Friday night and Oregon State on Saturday morning.
Jonni Parker was named the MVP of the Penn State Classic and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Gabby Blossom and Kaitlyn Hord. Parker hit .360 with 35 kills (3.89/set) and added 22 digs (2.44/set), 11 blocks (1.22/set) and three aces. She tallied the 1,000th kill of her career in the win over Iowa State on Friday. Blossom guided the offense to a .316 hitting percentage while totaling 101 assists (11.22/set). She also contributed five aces, 15 digs and five blocks. Hord hit .404 with 22 kills (2.44/set) and 19 blocks (2.11/set).
Penn State cruised to the three-set win over LSU, posting its fifth-straight sweep. Erika Pritchard has the best match of her short time at Penn State, posting 14 kills on .323 hitting, six digs and three blocks. She was one of five Lions to hit better than .300 in the match, joining Parker (nine kills, .333), Hord (eight kills, .316), Adanna Rollins (seven kills, .316) and Allie Holland (four kills, .333). Blossom orchestrated the effort with 30 assists as the team hit .318. Jenna Hampton chipped in with eight assists.
Hampton had 12 digs to lead a group of five Penn State players with at least five. Also included in that group were Pritchard, Blossom (9), Parker (8), and Rollins (6).
Penn State has been strong at the net so far this season. Hord has been one of the best in the nation statistically in blocks and added seven to her total against the Tigers, but the continued improvement of Holland has also played a pivotal role. She finished with five blocks, while Parker was right behind her with four.
The success on the block combined with Hampton's play in the back row held LSU to .180 hitting as a team. Kylie Kuyava-Deberg, who made the All-Tournament Team, hit .282 with 15 kills and added six digs.
Penn State didn't trail in either of the first two sets and controlled most of the third set until LSU took its first lead of the match at 19-18. A service error by the Tigers started a 4-0 run by the Lions that included a block by Hord and Parker and then back-to-back kills by Pritchard. Pritchard added another kill to put the Lions up 23-20. Hord eventually closed the match with a kill.
The closest Penn State came to losing a set on the weekend came on Saturday morning in a 3-0 (25-18, 32-30, 25-14) win over Oregon State. The Lions trailed 24-22 before going on a 3-0 run that included a kill by Parker and a block by Blossom and Holland. It took six chances at set point, but the Lions eventually went up 2-0 in the match on an ace by Hampton.
Holland had a big match against the Beavers with eight kills on .438 hitting and four blocks. Parker hit .400 with 14 kills and contributed six digs.
The Lions success at the service line played a big role in the sweep. They tallied nine aces, led by Pritchard with four. Parker had three, while Blossom and Hampton each served for one.
Oregon State was led by Lindsey Schell, who was named to the All-Tournament Team. She hit .667 with 14 kills.
Penn State heads west for a tough but exciting two days of volleyball next weekend. The Lions will take part in the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge in Eugene, Oregon, opening with the host Ducks, who are ranked 13th nationally, on Friday at 10 p.m. (ET). They play Stanford on Saturday at 7 p.m. (ET). The Cardinal are currently ranked 20th but posted a 3-1 win over fifth-ranked Florida since the last poll was released.
The 2021 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
