UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 10 Penn State survived an upset bid from High Point during the Penn State Invitational in non-conference women’s volleyball action Sunday morning at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 on the season thanks to 15 aces, including a career-high five from Ryla Jones. The Panthers finished the event at 1-2.
Jones, a junior middle blocker, had just one ace in her collegiate career before racking up five against High Point. Whitney Lauenstein served for three aces in the win, Ava Falduto and Kennedy Martin each had two, and Alexis Stucky, Gabrielle Nichols, and Haley Burgdorf chipped in with one apiece. The 15 aces were Penn State’s most in a five-set match during the 25-point rally scoring era, breaking the previous record of 11 set on three separate occasions.
Penn State struggled offensively but turned up the defense to get the win, holding High Point to .104 hitting. Ava Falduto did her part with 22 digs, while Martin and Burgdorf totaled eight apiece. Nichols fueled the effort at the net with six blocks. Jones was right behind her with five blocks.
Nichols was also a bright spot on the attack, hitting .562 with 10 kills. Freshman Finley Krystkowiak tallied nine kills on .353 hitting.
Sydney McKay was strong from the service line for High Point with five aces in addition to her nine digs. Kea Whillock played a big part in Penn State’s low hitting percentage with her 29 digs.
Set 1
High Point held Penn State to .056 hitting thanks to seven digs from Whillock on its way to a 25-20 win in the opening set. The lead was just one at 21-20 following a service error before the Panthers scored the final four points of the set. Two of those points came on attack errors by the Nittany Lions.
Set 2
Lauenstein came alive in the second set with four kills to lead Penn State to an easy 25-13 win. Martin and Falduto each had two aces in the set. The Nittany Lions scored the first two points and led the rest of the way. The lead ballooned to as much as 13 at 21-8 following a block by Stucky and Jones. Set point was later scored on an ace by Lauenstein.
Set 3
Krystkowiak hit .300 with five kills as Penn State took control with a 25-19 win in the third set. Jones had three aces, two of which came during a 5-0 run that put the Nittany Lions up 7-1. They led the rest of the way but High Point did make it close at points. The Panthers battled back to get within one numerous times, including as late as 14-13. Penn State eventually pulled away, using a 3-0 run to take a 19-14 advantage. Krystkowiak had a pair of kills during that stretch. The Nittany Lions later ended the set with a 3-0 run, capped with a kill by Burgdorf for set point.
Set 4
Penn State appeared to be on its way to the win but blew a 10-point lead (19-9) in a 26-24 loss in set four. High Point went on an 8-0 run to get within two at 19-17 and later went on a 3-0 run to take the lead at 22-21. Talia Lardner came through with a kill on the Panthers’ second chance at set point.
Set 5
Penn State added three more aces, two from Lauenstein and one from Jones, on its way to a 15-10 win in the fifth set. The Nittany Lions started fast with a 6-1 lead thanks to a 5-0 run that included both of Lauenstein’s aces. High Point got as close as 12-10 before Penn State closed the set with the final three points. Those came on kills by Martin, Nichols, and Lauenstein.
Career Highs
Haley Burgdorf – digs (8)
Lexi Gin – digs (4)
Ryla Jones – aces (5)
Finley Krystkowiak – kills (9), digs (2), blocks (1)
Danielle Whitmire – assists (16), blocks (1)
Up Next
The Nittany Lions play again Sunday, taking on Hofstra at 6 p.m. in the final match of the Penn State Invitational.
The 2026 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.