CHICAGO, Ill. – Whitney Lauenstein and Kennedy Martin combined for 31 kills to lead No. 12 Penn State to a 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-21) sweep over DePaul in a non-conference women’s volleyball match Monday at McGrath-Phillips Arena. The Nittany Lions improved to 4-1, while the Blue Demons dipped to 4-2.
Lauenstein hit .333 with a match-high 16 kills and added four digs. Martin was right behind her with 15 kills on .333 hitting in addition to six digs and three blocks. Freshman Haley Burgdorf put together an efficient performance with eight kills on .545 hitting. Penn State hit .307 as a team behind 37 assists by Alexis Stucky.
Stucky recorded her first double-double as a Nittany Lion, adding 11 digs and three aces to her assist total. She was one of two Penn State players with double-digit digs, joining Ava Falduto, who finished with a team-high 13. Falduto also posted a double-double thanks to her 10 assists.
Penn State tallied eight blocks over three sets. Ryla Jones fueled the effort with six, while freshman Finley Krystkowiak was in on three.
DePaul received a strong defensive effort from Nora Mannion, who led all players with 16 digs.
Set 1
Penn State erased a seven-point deficit on its way to a 25-23 win in the opening set. The Nittany Lions trailed 14-7 and were still down by six at 21-15 before clawing their way back. The comeback started with a 3-0 run to make it 21-18 as they scored on kills by Martin, Lauenstein, and Gabrielle Nichols. Penn State still trailed by four at 23-19 but closed the set with a 6-0 run. Jones played a huge role in the final run, scoring three straight points with a kill and a pair of blocks, the first alongside Martin and the second with Krystkowiak, to knot the score at 23-all. The final two points came on a kill by Martin and an attack error by the Blue Demons.
Set 2
Six players combined for Penn State’s 14 kills in a 27-25 win in the second set. Martin led the way with four, while Burgdorf and Lauenstein contributed three apiece. DePaul held the lead late at 23-22 and again at 25-24. The Nittany Lions scored the final three points on a block by Krystkowiak, an attack error, and a block by Jones and Stucky.
Set 3
Lauenstein and Martin combined for 14 kills as Penn State took the third set 25-21. Lauenstein hit .312 with eight kills, while Martin hit .455 with six kills. Burgdorf was perfect on her three attacks with three kills. Stucky racked up 15 assists and added a pair of aces while guiding the team to .368 hitting. Jones came through in the clutch yet again, scoring match point with a kill.
Career Highs
Haley Burgdorf – kills (8)
Ava Falduto – assists (10)
Finley Krystkowiak – blocks (3)
Up Next
No. 12 Penn State plays at The Palestra in Philadelphia for the first time in 41 years when it takes on No. 4 Stanford on Friday at 6 p.m. The Cardinal are 4-0 with wins over then-No. 6 Wisconsin (3-1), then-No. 15 Kansas (3-1), South Florida (3-1), and Marquette (3-1).
The 2026 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.