Women’s Volleyball (2-0)
The No. 2 women’s volleyball team swept No. 12 Creighton in its season opener. Kennedy Martin had 14 kills, 9 digs, two blocks, and an ace in her Penn State debut. Jordan Hopp added 10 kills, three blocks, and an ace in her first career start at middle blocker. The Nittany Lions eased through the first two sets before being tested in the third. Trailing 22-18 in the third set, Penn State closed on a 9-3 run to finish off the sweep.
After winning the first set against No. 14 Kansas on Monday, Penn
State lost the second set after having two set points. Kansas won set three to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth. The Nittany Lions faced a Kansas match point, but Maggie Mendelson got a kill to extend the match. Penn State went on to win a wild fourth set 30-28 to set up a winner-take-all fifth set. Kansas led 4-1 early in set five, but Penn State answered with a 14-8 run to close out the match and a .588 hitting percentage in the final set. Emmi Sellman recorded four of her 16 kills in the fifth set to help seal the win for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State will take on No. 13 Arizona State on Sunday (5pm on FOX) and TCU on Monday (5pm on FOX) in the State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase in Pittsburgh.
Women’s Soccer (2-1)
The No. 9 women’s soccer team rebounded from its loss against Duke with a 4-1 win over No. 23 Saint Louis and a 3-1 win over West Virginia.
Against Saint Louis, Audrey Kulpa scored two goals on three shots on goal for the offense. Kaitlyn MacBean and Julia Raich bookended the game with one goal each. The Nittany Lions never trailed in a comfortable 4-1 win over the Billikens.
West Virginia outshot Penn State 14-6 on Sunday, but the Nittany Lions held the Mountaineers to just three shots on goal in a 3-1 win. Julia Raich, Amelia White, and Hannah Jordan each scored once for Penn State.
Penn State will continue its homestand with games against Santa Clara tonight (7:30pm on Big Ten Plus) and James Madison on Sunday (6pm on Big Ten Plus).
Men’s Soccer (1-1)
Caden Grabfelder scored both goals for Penn State in a 2-0 win over Stetson in the season opener. Jonathan Evans recorded his first career shutout in his first ever start. The Nittany Lions outshot Stetson 17-4 in the game to start the season 1-0.
The momentum did not last long, as the Nittany Lions fell 2-1 to Army on Sunday. Penn State limited the Black Knights to just two shots on goal, but both went in the net. Defender Ben Nash scored in the 85th minute to pull Penn State to within one, but it was too little too late for the Nittany Lions, who fell to 1-1 on the season.
Penn State travels to Syracuse tonight (7pm on ACC Network Extra) before hosting No. 24 Missouri State on Monday (4pm on Big Ten Plus).
Field Hockey
The field hockey team opens its 2025 season on the road against No. 3 Virginia on Friday at 5pm. After a disappointing 2024 season where the team missed the NCAA Tournament, the Nittany Lions will look to re-establish themselves as a power in the sport. They will have to find a way to replace Sophia Gladieux, who scored 20 of Penn State’s 36 goals in the 2024 season. Penn State is ranked No. 18 in the preseason poll.
