UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Gabrielle Nichols hit .579 with 13 kills and six blocks to lead No. 9 Penn State women’s volleyball to a 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18) win over Villanova in a non-conference match Tuesday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions moved to 7-1 overall with their fourth-straight win, while the Wildcats fell to 5-4.
The 13 kills were a career high for Nichols. She was one of two Penn State players in double-digits as Kennedy Martin was one behind her with 12 kills. Alexis Stucky guided the team to .285 hitting with her 43 assists while adding seven digs and two aces. Ryla Jones gave the Nittany Lions a double threat in the middle with her seven kills on .545 hitting and three blocks.
Haley Burgdorf helped hold Villanova to .153 hitting with her 13 digs and two blocks. Ava Falduto tallied 12 digs.
Abby Harrell, the Preseason Player of the Year in the Big East, paced Villanova, hitting .314 with 13 kills, six digs, and three aces.
Penn State remained unbeaten in the all-time series with Villanova, improving to 16-0. Tuesday’s match was the first between the teams since 2015.
Set 1
Penn State hit .500 behind nine assists from Stucky as it rolled to a 25-14 win in set one. Nichols, Martin, and Whitney Lauenstein had three kills apiece. Lauenstein also had two of her three aces for the match during the set. The Nittany Lions pulled away with an early 9-0 run to go up 15-4 and led by double-digits for most of the remainder of the set.
Set 2
Penn State had seven attack errors with zero Villanova blocks and added six service errors in a 25-23 loss in set two. The Wildcats took advantage of the miscues, adding three kills each from Campbell McKinnon, Taylor Lewis, and Harrell.
Set 3
Martin hit .385 with six kills, while Falduto and Burgdorf took care of the defensive effort with five digs apiece in Penn State’s 25-23 win in set three. The Nittany Lions scored on back-to-back kills by Nichols to go up 22-19, but Villanova responded with a 3-0 run to tie the score. Martin gave the Nittany Lions the next two points with a pair of kills. Villanova stopped the first chance at set point, but Burgdorf followed with a kill to end the set.
Set 4
Nichols hit .500 with four kills and was in on three blocks to fuel Penn State’s 25-18 win in the final set. The Nittany Lions controlled the set the entire way, leading by double-digits as late as 18-8. Match point was eventually scored on a kill by Nichols.
Career Highs
Haley Burgdorf – digs (13), blocks (2)
Gabrielle Nichols – kills (13)
Up Next
Penn State hosts South Florida (9/18) and No. 16 Tennessee (9/20) for the Penn State Classic at Rec Hall.
The 2026 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.