Penn State Holds Off Cincinnati to Advance to NCAA Regional Final
The Lions Will Play Saturday at 10 p.m. (ET) on ESPNU
STANFORD, Calif. – Penn State women’s volleyball is headed to the NCAA Regional Final after holding off Cincinnati 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-12, 15-11) at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion on Friday night. The Lions hit .445 in the match, led by Tori Gorrell and Serena Gray with a combined 29 kills on .596 hitting, as they advanced to the Regional Final for the second consecutive season and the 16th time in program history.
Penn State, the No. 11 overall seed, improved to 27-5 overall, while Cincinnati dropped to 27-7. The Lions will play the winner of Friday night’s match between Stanford and Utah on Saturday at 10 p.m. (ET) for a chance to play in the National Semifinals in Pittsburgh on Dec. 19.
The Lions received eye-popping statistical numbers from nearly every position on the floor. Gabby Blossom did everything from her setter position, finishing with 54 assists, nine digs, four blocks, and five kills on seven swings. She was a perfect five-for-five on her first five attacks.
The team’s sophomore middle blocker tandem came up big as they have so many times this season. Kaitlyn Hord tallied nine kills and recorded a career-high nine total blocks, while Gray hit .700 with 14 kills and no errors on 20 swings while adding three aces and four blocks.
Gorrell and Jonni Parker led the team’s hitters. Gorrell hit .519 with 15 kills and five blocks, while Parker led the team with 17 kills on .341 hitting. Freshman Lauren Clark added four kills and two blocks.
The back row got off to a slow start but got stronger as the match progressed while attempting to defend one of the best players in the nation in Jordan Thompson. Kendall White recorded a team-high 14 digs, while Jenna Hampton and Keeton Holcomb contributed five apiece. Seniors Kristin Krause (two) and Emily Sciorra (one) also chipped in on defense.
Thompson, a senior that totaled 50 kills in a single match earlier this season, was as advertised as a possible NCAA Player of the Year candidate. She carried the load for the Bearcats, finishing with 30 kills on 71 swings. Maria Mallon turned in a solid performance with 19 kills.
Cincinnati was a dangerous team entering its first-ever NCAA Regional. The Bearcats were 15-1 in the American Athletic Conference this season and knocked off No. 6 overall seed Pittsburgh in five sets in the NCAA Second Round last weekend. The Panthers were ranked second in the country in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll.
Penn Stare founds itself down 2-1 following a 25-23 loss in set three despite a heavy statistical advantage. The Lions hit .500 in a losing effort in the third set and were hitting .409 for the match at that time, but were hindered by 14 service errors. They finished the match with 16 service errors.
The Lions swung momentum their way with a dominant 25-12 victory in set four. They never trailed in that set and didn’t trail again in the fifth after tying the match at 1-all. Two of the team’s final three points of the match came on kills by Parker.
Penn State improved to 104-31 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. All of those matches were played during head coach Russ Rose’s 41 seasons with the team. He enters Saturday’s match with 1,299 career victories.
Saturday’s Regional Final match at Maples Pavilion will air live on ESPNU.