MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 24 Penn State women’s volleyball led late in all three sets but couldn’t finish in a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) loss to No. 20 Minnesota in a Big Ten match Friday night at Maturi Pavilion. The Nittany Lions, who played their 12th nationally-ranked opponent of the season, dipped to 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the conference, while the Gophers upped their record to 18-8, 8-7.
Penn State led 22-21 in the opening set, 18-17 in the second set, and 22-20 in set three. The Gophers closed the third set with a 5-0 run to get the sweep.
Kennedy Martin hit .447 with 26 kills for the Nittany Lions. It was her third-straight match with 20-plus kills and the 14th of the season. The junior hit .562 with 11 kills in the second set and .412 with eight kills in the third set, giving her 15 sets this season in which she tallied eight or more kills.
Martin also led the team in digs with eight and had one of Penn State’s three aces. Jordan Hopp and Addie Lyon each had one ace.
Penn State held Minnesota to .242 hitting, but was plagued by twice as many service errors, a few coming in critical spots, and had 11 less digs.
Julia Hanson led the Gophers’ attack, hitting .294 with 14 kills. Defensively, they were paced by McKenna Garr with 17 digs and Jordan Taylor with six blocks.
Up Next
Penn State hosts Ohio State on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Buckeyes are 5-18 overall and 2-13 in the Big Ten following a 3-0 loss to Michigan on Friday.
The 2025 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.