COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 15 Penn State women's volleyball fell to 19-9 overall and 12-6 in the Big Ten with a 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-11, 25-20) loss to No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday at the Covelli Center. The Buckeyes improved to 23-5 overall and 13-5 in the conference.
Penn State totaled 14 blocks but hit just .123 in the loss. Jonni Parker had 17 kills to lead the team for the second time of the weekend, while Adanna Rollins hit .364 with 10 kills. Parker and Rollins added nine and seven digs, respectively.
Allie Holland was strong at the net while leading Penn State to its 14 blocks. She had nine, including three solo. Kaitlyn Hord had two solo stuffs and finished with five total blocks.
Ohio State overcame Penn State's blocking effort with huge performances from Emily Londot and Rylee Rader. Londot led all players with 22 kills on .378 hitting and added 12 digs to finish off a double-double. Rader hit .556 with 15 kills and totaled a team-high six blocks.
The Buckeyes finished with 75 digs compared to 57 for the Lions. Hanna Gruensfelder led four Ohio State players in double-figures with 19.
Jenna Hampton led Penn State in digs with 17. Gabby Blossom tallied 12 and recorded a double-double with 38 assists.
Penn State had a chance to quiet the sold-out crowd early on as it took a 19-15 lead in set one, but Ohio State needed little time to come back. The Buckeyes scored six of the next seven points to take a 21-20 lead. The Lions tied it at 21-21 and at 22-22 on kills by Hord. After giving up back-to-back points, they staved off one set point attempt, but Jenaisya Moore came through with a kill to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead in the match.
Holland stepped up in the second set to help Penn State tie the match with the 25-22 victory. Five of her nine blocks came in the set, plus she contributed one kill. Her final block of the set was combined with Blossom and put the Lions up 17-14.
Ohio State came back again in set two, tying the match at 20-20 with a 3-0 run that included back-to-back combined blocks by Londot and Rader. Penn State responded with a 4-0 run that was fueled by Parker and Hord. Each had a kill and they combined on a block. The Buckeyes made it 24-22 before Rollins tied the match with a kill.
The Buckeyes cruised. through the final two sets, holding the Lions to .028 hitting in set three and .119 in set four.
Penn State will look to close the regular season on a strong note next weekend at Rec Hall. The Lions host No. 9 Minnesota on Friday at 8 p.m. That match will air on B1G Network. They host Iowa on Saturday at 7 p.m. for Senior Day, and then turn their attention to the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. That will air on ESPNU.