MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 14 Penn State women's volleyball started a tough road trip on a high note, sweeping No. 12 Minnesota 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-22) in a Big Ten match Friday night at Maturi Pavilion.
The Nittany Lions, who improved to 14-5 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten, now head to Madison to take on No. 3 Wisconsin on Saturday. The Gophers saw their record dip to 11-6, 6-3 Big Ten.
Penn State hit .356 as team while posting their second sweep over a nationally ranked Big Ten team this season. The other came against then-No. 3 Ohio State at Rec Hall. Senior setter Gabby Blossom, who earned Big Ten Co-Setter of the Week honors on Monday, led the offense with 44 assists and finished off her fifth-straight double-double with 14 digs.
Blossom was one of two Penn State players with a double-double, joining senior Adanna Rollins, who played against her former team for the first time. Rollins finished with 13 digs and 11 kills, none more important than the stretch she had to end set two. The Lions trailed by as much as six in the set and were still down 22-17 late before rallying back to tie at 24-24 on a 3-0 run that was capped by a kill from Rollins. That was just the start for the outside hitter. Jenn Wenaas put the Gophers up one, 25-24, before Rollins went off with three straight kills to complete the comeback and put her team up 2-0 in the match.
The middles were dominant once again for Penn State, combining for 27 kills on .489 hitting. Sophomore Allie Holland hit .550 with 12 kills and four blocks, while Kaitlyn Hord hit .444 with 15 kills.
Penn State's back row put together a solid effort, holding Stephanie Samedy, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and the current NCAA leader in kills/set, to 12 kills. Four players finished with double-digit digs, including senior libero Jenna Hampton with 16. Freshman Anjelina Starck tallied 10.
The back row gave up just two aces in the match. On the other side, Penn State freshman Quinn Menger served for two aces while Starck and Hampton chipped in with one apiece.
Penn State ended a three-match losing streak at Maturi Pavilion, winning there for the first time since 2017. It was the first win there for the Lions' senior class on their fourth try.
The Lions hit better than .300 in all three sets. They never trailed on their way to an easy win I set one. Following the big comeback in set two, they pulled out a hard-fought victory in the third. With the score tied at 20-20, Minnesota had two attack errors sandwiched around a kill by Holland to put Penn State up 23-20. The Gophers scored the next two points to get within one but kills by Jonni Parker and Blossom put an exclamation point on the sweep.
Parker led all players with 16 kills on .341 hitting while adding five digs. Katie Clark had just one point in the match, but it was a big one. She came off the bench during the comeback in the second set and combined with Holland for a block that brough the Lions within one, 24-23.
Samedy totaled 16 digs to give her a double-double. Wenaas finished with a team-high 15 kills on .297 hitting, while Airi Miyabe had 14 kills on .324 hitting.
Friday's matchup was between two teams that could be stronger later in the season when players return. Penn State was without starting outside hitter Erika Pritchard, while Minnesota was without starting outside hitter Taylor Landfair.
Penn State now turns its attention to No. 3 Wisconsin, who beat No. 6 Ohio State in four sets on Friday. The Badgers are currently in second place in the Big Ten standings at 8-1, while the Lions are one spot back in third at 7-2. Saturday's match between the teams will air live on Big Ten Network.
