ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 14 Penn State women’s volleyball opened Big Ten play with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-13) win over Michigan on Friday night at Crisler Arena. The Nittany Lions improved to 9-2 overall, while the Wolverines fell to 9-3.
Kennedy Martin was the lone Penn State player to reach double-digit kills in what was a mostly balanced attack. The senior hit .340 with 18 kills, three digs, and two blocks. Whitney Lauenstein and Emmi Sellman each played the final three sets and were productive in the reserve role. Sellman hit .350 with eight kills, three blocks, five digs, and two aces, while Lauenstein hit .412 with eight kills and one block.
The Nittany Lions dominated at the net with 11 blocks compared to the Wolverines’ two. Gabrielle Nichols was in on six blocks in addition to her six kills. Ryla Jones tallied five blocks to go along with her five kills. On the floor, Ava Falduto led the way with 15 digs. Alexis Stucky and Haley Burgdorf also turned in double-digit digs with 11 apiece. Jocelyn Nathan did her part, contributing six digs.
Alexis Stucky added 39 assists to her 11 digs to record her fourth double-double of the season and the 28th of her career.
Michigan was paced by Cymarah Gordon with 16 kills on .268 hitting. The Nittany Lions held the Wolverines to .106 hitting and didn’t allow an ace.
Penn State upped its record to 58-7 in the all-time series with Michigan, including a 4-2 mark under head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.
Set 1
Penn State had eight attack errors with just two Michigan blocks in a 25-23 loss in the first set. Ella Demetrician led the Wolverines, hitting .455 with six kills and four digs. The Nittany Lions used a 4-0 run to go up 17-16 and still led by one at 18-17 following a kill by Stucky. The Wolverines responded with the next two points before the Nittany Lions knotted the score at 19-all with a kill by Nichols. Michigan then went on a 3-0 run and led the rest of the set. A kill by Martin stopped Michigan’s first chance at set point and brought Penn State within one at 24-23, but Demetrician followed with a kill to end the set.
Set 2
Martin tallied six kills and Falduto did her part with six digs to lead Penn State to a 25-17 win in set two. The Nittany Lions started to pull away early, going up 8-4 with a 6-0 run. Martin started the run with a pair of kills. They controlled the rest of the set, getting to 10 with a three-point lead after a kill by Sellman and to 20 with an eight-point lead after a kill by Martin. Set point was later scored on a kill by Stucky.
Set 3
Martin and Sellman combined for nine kills and no errors on 16 attacks as Penn State rolled to a 25-13 win in set three. Stucky tallied 12 assists while guiding the team to .538 hitting. The Nittany Lions never trailed in the set. They went up double-digits at 20-10 following a 6-0 run. Set point was later scored on a kill by Martin.
Set 4
Nichols was in on three of the team’s four blocks as Penn State held Michigan to .075 in another 25-13 win in set four. The Nittany Lions again never trailed in the set. This time they first went up double-digits at 22-12 thanks to three straight kills by Stucky, Lauenstein, and Martin. Match point was later scored on a block by Nichols and Martin.
Career Highs
Lexi Gin – aces (2)
Up Next
Penn State stays on the road for a match at Michigan State on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Spartans are 10-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten following a 3-1 home loss to Washington on Friday.
The 2026 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.