PITTSBURGH – No. 5 Penn State’s comeback attempt fell short in a 3-2 (25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 19-25, 15-12) loss to No. 24 TCU in a non-conference women’s volleyball match on Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions fell to 2-2 on the season after dropping two matches at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase, while the Horned Frogs improved to 1-1.

A pair of Penn State players recorded double-doubles. Kennedy Martin tallied 21 kills and 15 digs, while Izzy Starck turned in 41 assists and a team-high 17 digs. Gillian Grimes finished with 13 digs to join the pair in double-digits.

Penn State freshmen Gabrielle Nichols and Alexis Ewing each recorded their first collegiate kills in the match, while freshman Lexi Gin recorded her first collegiate dig.

TCU racked up 11 aces and 11 blocks to get the win despite being held to .185 hitting. Six different Horned Frogs contributed at least one ace, including Jalyn Gibson with three. Eight players were in on at least one block, led by Alexis Roberson with six.

Monday marked just the second-ever match between Penn State and TCU.

Set 1

TCU served for five aces on its way to a 25-19 win in the opening set. Alice Volpe led the way with two aces, while Evan Hendrix paced the attack with five kills. The Horned Frogs used a 6-0 run to go up 9-3 and later led by as much as 12 at 21-9.

Set 2

TCU added four more aces while winning the second set 25-15. The Horned Frogs again used a 6-0 run to pull away, this time breaking a 10-all tie to go up 16-10.

Set 3

Penn State came alive in the third set, holding TCU to .182 hitting on its way to a 25-20 win. The Nittany Lions trailed 20-19 before scoring the final six points of the set. Gabrielle Nichols had a kill and a block during that stretch.

Set 4

Penn State scored the first four points of the fourth set and rolled to a 25-19 win behind six kills and an ace from Martin. The Nittany Lions went on to lead by as much as 10 at 19-9. Set point was later scored on a kill by Martin.

Set 5

This time it was TCU with the fast start. The Horned Frogs opened the set with a 3-0 run and took an 8-3 lead into the break on its way to a 15-12 win. Penn State trailed 11-4 before fighting back to within two thanks to a 5-0 run that included four straight kills by Emmi Sellman. The Nittany Lions got back within two at 14-12 after a solo block by Nichols, but a service error followed to end the match.

Career Highs

Alexis Ewing – kills (1)

Lexi Gin – digs (1)

Kennedy Martin – digs (15)

Gabrielle Nichols – kills (4), blocks (4)

Up Next

No. 5 Penn State hosts No. 4 Kentucky in its home opener Friday night at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will air on FOX.