CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 25 Penn State put together a total team effort in a 3-1 (25-23, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22) win over Illinois in Big Ten women’s volleyball action Sunday at Huff Hall. Maggie Mendelson led the way, hitting .516 with a career-high 16 kills and two blocks as the Nittany Lions upped their record to 14-10 overall and 8-6 in the conference. The Illini dropped to 12-11, 7-7.
Mendelson was one of three Penn State players to reach double-digit kills as setter Addie Lyon racked up 52 assists in the match. Kennedy Martin led all players with 22 kills on .333 hitting and finished off a double-double with 11 digs. Emmi Sellman hit .289 with 14 kills, eight digs, and three blocks. Alexis Ewing nearly joined the group in double-figures, coming up one kill short with nine.
Penn State libero Gillian Grimes had a busy night. The senior captain matched a career high with 27 digs and was a perfect 17-17 on serve receive. She also had one of the team’s eight aces. Fellow back row player Ava Falduto was clutch from the service line with her three aces. The sophomore just missed double-digits with her nine digs.
Joining in on the ace party for the Nittany Lions were Jordan Hopp with two and Lyon and Martin with one apiece. The Illini, on the other hand, managed just two aces for the match.
Aiding in the defensive effort for Penn State were Hopp with a match-high six blocks and Jocelyn Nathan with six digs.
Illinois had a trio of players – Alyssa Aguayo, Auburn Tomkinson, and Taylor de Boer – finished with 14 kills. Aguayo did it on .419 hitting and tallied an impressive 24 digs.
Penn State improved to 53-13 in the all-time series with Illinois, winning for the eighth time in the past 10 matchups.
Set 1
Lyon tallied 15 assists and Martin had seven kills to lead Penn State to a 25-23 win in the opening set. The Nittany Lions trailed 17-16 before going on a 4-0 run that started with a kill by Ewing and finished with an ace by Falduto. Illinois got back within one at 20-19, but Hopp came through with a solo block. The Illini got within one again at 23-22 only to watch as Mendelson recorded a kill. Then at 24-23, Martin finished off the set with a kill.
Set 2
Illinois hit .435 with 23 kills on its way to a 27-25 win in set two. Eight different Illini players contributed to the kill total, while Kenna Phelan guided the attack with 19 assists. Penn State had its lone chance at set point leading 25-24 after a kill by Martin and ace by Grimes. Illinois responded with a 3-0 run to close the set, getting the last point on a kill by Gabby Dean.
Set 3
Penn State bounced back with a 25-23 win in set three, getting five kills on .400 hitting from Martin and a pair of aces from Falduto. Despite the close score, the Nittany Lions actually led for most of the way, going up for good after taking an 11-10 edge on a kill by Lyon. They led by as much as five numerous times, including at 24-19 following a kill by Martin. After a 4-0 Illini run, the Nittany Lions secured the set win with a kill by Martin.
Set 4
Sellman hit .500 with six kills and three blocks to help Penn State take the fourth set 25-22. The team hit .385 behind 14 assists from Lyon. The score was tied at 14-all before Penn State went on a 3-0 run with a kill by Martin, an ace by Lyon, and a block by Sellman and Mendelson. Illinois got within one at 19-18 and 20-19 but could never get the tying point. Leading 23-21, the Nittany Lions finished off the match with kills by Sellman and Martin.
Career Highs
Maggie Mendelson – kills (16)
Up Next
No. 25 Penn State travels to play No. 22 Minnesota on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, and then hosts Ohio State on Sunday at 2 p.m. Friday’s match will air on B1G Network, while Sunday’s contest will stream on B1G+.
The 2025 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.