STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Audriana Fitzmorris and Kathryn Plummer each tallied 18 kills as No. 1 Stanford held off No. 4 Penn State, Friday, in front of a raucous crowd at Rec Hall.
Stanford (5-0) handed Penn State (5-1) its first loss of the season. The Cardinal and Nittany Lions are now tied 12-12 all-time. Stanford has won 37 matches in a row dating back to Sept. 1, 2018.
Fitzmorris had a season-high 18 kills on .341 hitting to go with three blocks. Plummer finished one dig shy of a double-double. Graduate Madeleine Gates hit .450 with a season-best 10 kills and five blocks.
Stanford had match-point in the first set, but allowed Penn State to take a 25-24 advantage on back-to-back kills by Allyson Cathey. The Nittany Lions went on to win the opening frame, 29-27.
Setter Jenna Gray had a match- and season-high seven blocks to go with 45 assists, six digs and four kills. Senior libero Morgan Hentz finished with a season-best 22 digs, five assists and three aces.
The Cardinal led for the entire second set, but let a 10-point lead dwindle down to one before Plummer finished it off with a pair of kills.
Battle won in Happy Valley ??.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/Oi968xJLbL
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) September 14, 2019
Freshman Kendall Kipp registered 10 kills and sophomore Holly Campbell posted five blocks, while junior Meghan McClure notched 10 digs. Defensive specialist Kate Formico finished with five digs and recorded a crucial ace late in the fourth set to help seal the win.
Stanford held Penn State to under .200 hitting in both the third and fourth sets, while limiting its own errors.
Penn State was led by middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord's 16 kills on .517 hitting and six blocks. Outside hitter Jonni Parker added 14 kills, while senior libero Kendall White collected 22 digs.
The Cardinal wraps up the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge on Saturday against No. 8 Minnesota. First serve is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PT from Rec Hall.