UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 13 Penn State opened the Penn State Classic with a 3-2 (25-15, 20-25, 22-25, 25-16, 15-8) win over Princeton in a non-conference match Friday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions moved their record to 5-4 overall, while the Tigers dropped to 4-3.
Kennedy Martin went off for Penn State, racking up 29 kills to go along with her nine digs and three blocks. The huge kill total came on an efficient .480 hitting. Jordan Hopp was dominant in the middle, hitting .684 with 13 kills and no errors on 19 attacks.
The Nittany Lions had a strong showing defensively at the net against Princeton, collecting nine blocks to Princeton’s three. Maggie Mendelson led the team in blocks with six. Gillian Grimes sparked the defense in the back row with 20 digs.
Valerie Nutakor and Erin McNair pace Princeton, combining for 27 kills.
Set 1
Three Penn State players – Hopp, Sellman, and Martin – recorded four kills each in the first set to secure a 25-15 win. The Nittany Lions had two early 3-0 runs to push the team’s lead to four at 8-4. The Nittany Lions later ripped off seven straight points to close out the set. Mendelson had three blocks during that stretch, while Lyon had a pair of aces and guided the team to .440 hitting in the set.
Set 2
Princeton fought back against a late Penn State surge to capture the second set, 25-20. Neither team could find a strong lead midway through the set, with both sides trading points. That all changed when the Tigers generated a 3-0 scoring run to push the score to 19-15. The Nittany Lions continued to fight back against the wave of momentum for Princeton with Martin’s six kills in the set, cutting the lead to 22-20. The Tigers’ offense kept things rolling with a 3-0 run, which eventually led to Princeton capturing the second set with an ace from Sydney Bold.
Set 3
Princeton survived a late rally by Penn State to capture the third set. The Tigers controlled most of the early action and held a five-point lead at 14-9. The Nittany Lions rallied and continued to claw away at the Princeton lead until the lead was down to two at 22-20. The Tigers immediately rallied with two straight points to reach a 24-20 score. The Tigers were unsuccessful in their first three chances at set point, but McNair delivered with a kill on their fourth chance.
Set 4
Penn State rolled to a 25-16 win in set four behind nine kills from Martin, who hit .818 in the set. The competition was tight in the early action as the teams battled to a 10-10 deadlock. The Nittany Lions then came alive with a 5-0 run to hold a five-point lead at 15-10. Penn State’s sudden surge was fueled by Martin, who had three kills during that span. The Nittany Lions’ offense kept things rolling in the latter part of the action, hitting .441 in the set, and kept the Nittany Lions alive, giving them the set win.
Set 5
Penn State came out on top in the final set 15-8. Neither team could find a strong lead early in the action, with both sides trading points. That all changed when Ava Falduto rattled off two straight aces to start a 7-0 scoring run that pushed the score to 14-7. Martin was also a vital part of the set win with five kills. Penn State couldn’t capitalize on its first chance at set point, but an attack error by Nutakor closed out the set and gave Penn State the win.
Up Next
Penn State hosts Central Michigan in the final match of the Penn State Classic on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The 2025 Penn State Women's Volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.