LEXINGTON, Ky. – Camryn Hannah hit .469 with 22 kills to lead No. 7 Penn State to a 3-2 (19-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-8) reverse sweep over No. 7 Kentucky on Friday night at Memorial Coliseum. It was the Nittany Lions’ second win over a top-10 opponent in a span of four days and its third win over a nationally-ranked opponent in just four matches to open the season.
Penn State remained unbeaten at 4-0, including two road wins over nationally-ranked teams. Kentucky dropped to 2-2.
Senior middle blocker Taylor Trammell had a big match while playing in her hometown of Lexington, hitting .435 with 12 kills and five blocks. She had nine kills and four blocks over the three sets won by Penn State. She was especially strong in the deciding set, tallying four kills on five swings. Hannah, who added four blocks to her 22 kills, also came up big in the final set with three kills on three attacks.
Penn State held Kentucky to .189 hitting thanks in large part to 14 blocks. Maggie Mendelson fueled that effort with eight blocks, while setter Izzy Starck contributed five in addition to her five kills. Izzy Starck, a freshman, also recorded her second-career double-double with 47 assists and 17 digs.
Izzy Starck was one of four Penn State players to reach double-digits in digs. Gillian Grimes was right behind her with 14, while Ava Falduto and Anjelina Starck added 12 and 11, respectively. Jess Mruzik finished with nine digs to go along with her 15 kills.
Falduto led another solid night at the service line by Penn State. She had three of the team’s six aces, while the other three came from Grimes, Izzy Starck and Quinn Menger.
Brooklyn DeLeye paced Kentucky with 20 kills and seven digs. Erin Lamb chipped in with 14 kills.
Penn State is one of just two teams in the country with three wins over nationally-ranked teams this season, beating No. 4 Louisville, No. 9 Kentucky, and No. 15 Tennessee. Stanford has wins over No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 18 Minnesota, and No. 24 Marquette.
Set 1
Penn State came up short with a 25-19 loss in set one despite Hannah being perfect on the attack with five kills on five swings. Kentucky came out on top thanks to four aces as a team and five kills from DeLeye.
Set 2
Erin Lamb tallied five kills and Brooke Bultema was right behind her with four as Kentucky edged Penn State 25-23 in set two. A big kill from Izzy Starck tied the score at 21-all, but the Wildcats followed with a 3-0 run. The Nittany Lions stayed alive on the next two points with a kill by Hannah and a block by Hannah and Trammell. The set ended on a service error.
Set 3
Penn State erased a four-point deficit and then held off a late Kentucky comeback to stay alive with a 26-24 win in the third set. Mruzik and Hannah had six kills apiece. The Nittany Lions trailed by as much as four at 15-11 and were still down 17-14 before going on a 5-0 run. Falduto had a clutch ace during that stretch that tied the score at 17-all, and Mruzik tallied two kills, including one to put Penn State up 19-17. The Nittany Lions eventually upped their lead to 23-20 on a kill by Hannah. Kentucky later staved off two Penn State chances at set point. A kill by Hannah made it 25-24, and Mruzik followed with a kill to secure the set win.
Set 4
Six more kills by Hannah helped Penn State take the fourth set 25-22. The Nittany Lions led by six as late as 18-12, but the Wildcats clawed their way back to as close as one at 19-18 and 20-19. A kill by Mruzik and a block by Mendelson and Izzy Starck made it 22-19, and the lead was still three at 23-20 following a kill by Mruzik. Kentucky scored the next two points to get back within one, but Penn State closed the set with kills by Hannah and Trammell.
Set 5
Trammell had four kills on five swings, and Hannah was perfect on her three attacks as Penn State cruised to a 15-8 win in the final set. The Nittany Lions started fast with a 3-0 run that including a solo block by Hannah, a kill by Izzy Starck, and a kill by Hannah. The teams switched sides with Penn State leading 8-3 after a kill by Trammell. She then combined with Alexa Markley on a block to make it 9-3. Eventually it was Hannah with a kill, her 22nd of the night, to lock up the win.
Career Highs
Ava Falduto – aces (3)
Maggie Mendelson – blocks (8), solo blocks (3)
Izzy Starck – kills (5), assists (47), digs (17), blocks (5)
Up Next
The Nittany Lions finish play in the Kentucky Invitational when they take on Ball State on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Cardinals are 3-1 on the season after beating James Madison 3-1 on Friday.