UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Kennedy Martin’s 24 kills, seven digs and two blocks led the way as No. 19 Penn State defeated Northwestern, 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 25-16) Saturday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 10-6 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten with the win, while the Wildcats dropped to 12-6, 2-4.
Caroline Jurevicius and Maggie Mendelson each finished the match with double-digit kills. Jurevicius tallied 13, while Mendelson totaled 11 on .526 hitting. Addie Lyon turned in another stellar performance, contributing 51 assists and five digs while helping the team hit .326.
Gillian Grimes and Ava Falduto anchored Penn State’s back-row defense with 15 digs apiece. The Nittany Lions held the Wildcats to .167 hitting, including a -.062 clip in the final set.
Ayah Elnady impressed for the Wildcats, finishing with 15 kills, eight digs, and one ace.
Penn State improved to 60-9 all-time series with the Wildcats and has now won 37 of the past 38 meetings.
Set 1
Martin contributed six kills and hit .500 to help Penn State take the opening set 25-18. The teams split the first 12 points, but the Nittany Lions forced a Wildcats timeout after a Mendelson kill gave them a 10-7 lead. Northwestern gained the next point, but three straight attack errors increased the Nittany Lions’ lead and they didn’t give it up the rest of the way, capping set one with a kill by Jurevicius.
Set 2
Martin and Jurevicius combined for nine kills as Penn State won set two 25-20. Northwestern took two of the first three points before a 6-0 Penn State run, capped by a Martin kill, gave the blue and white a 7-2 lead. The Wildcats clawed back, cutting the lead to 15-11 at the media timeout but still trailed late at 22-17. The teams split the next six points to end the match, with Jurevicius’s sixth kill of the match ending the second set.
Set 3
Martin hit .421 with nine kills but it wasn’t enough as Northwestern took the third set 25-20. A back-and-forth set began with neither team leading by more than three points until the media timeout, where Penn State held a 15-13 advantage. Martin contributed seven kills up to that point. A 5-0 Northwestern run forced a Penn State timeout. While a Northwestern attack error gave Penn State the next point, the Wildcats took three of the next four points and eventually forced a fourth set on a service ace.
Set 4
Four Nittany Lions finished with three or more kills as Penn State prevailed in the fourth set 25-16. After splitting the first four points, Penn State jumped out to an 8-6 lead before a service error and a Wildcats service ace tied the set. Northwestern took a timeout as Penn State led 17-14, but back-to-back Mendelson kills kickstarted an 8-2 closing run, which ended with two straight kills from Jurevicius.
Career Highs
Jordan Hopp – digs (6)
Up Next
Penn State heads west, visiting Washington on Friday at 10 p.m., before traveling to Oregon to play Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Both matches will air on B1G Network.