UNIVERSITY PARK – Kennedy Martin hit .474 with 23 kills to lead No. 19 Penn State to a big 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-16) sweep over No. 7 Wisconsin in a Big Ten women’s volleyball match Friday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 9-6 overall and 3-2 in the conference with their third nationally-ranked win of the season. The Badgers saw their 10-match winning streak come to an end as they dropped to 11-2, 4-1.

Martin started fast with a first set that saw her hit .692 with 10 kills, two aces, and two blocks. She did a little bit of everything in the match, finishing with eight digs and three blocks.

When it wasn’t Martin on the right side or from the back row, it was Maggie Mendelson in the middle getting the job done. The senior hit .320 with 10 kills and two blocks, giving her double-digit kills in back-to-back matches. Caroline Jurevicius had a solid night on the outside with seven kills. Addie Lyon guided the attack to .296 hitting with 32 assists.

Madison Quest was a bright spot in a losing effort for Wisconsin, hitting .421 with 10 kills. The Badgers were held to .151 hitting as a team thanks in large part to nine digs by Gillian Grimes and seven from Ava Falduto.

Penn State improved to 51-16 in the all-time series with Wisconsin, including a 28-3 mark at Rec Hall.

Set 1

Martin hit .692 with 10 kills, two aces, and two blocks to lead Penn State to a 25-20 win in the opening set. The Nittany Lions used a 5-0 run that was capped with a kill by Jurevicius to go up 7-3. They added a 3-0 run to further pull away with a 10-4 advantage. Martin had back-to-back aces during that stretch. They went on to lead by as much as seven at 14-7 following a kill by Martin. Set point was later scored on Martin’s 10th kill.

Set 2

Martin added seven more kills and a block to help Penn State win 25-21 in set two. Mendelson had four kills on five swings, while Jurevicius contributed three kills. Lyon racked up 12 assists to lead the team to .379 hitting. The score was tied late at 19-19 before the Nittany Lions went on a 3-0 run with two kills by Martin and a Wisconsin attack error. The Badgers were within two at 23-21 before the Nittany Lions closed the set with back-to-back points. Lyon set Martin for the first point and found Jurevicius for set point.

Set 3

Martin and Mendelson combined for 10 kills to lead Penn State to a 25-16 win in the third set. The Nittany Lions started fast with a 3-0 run but soon found themselves down 10-5. The comeback came quick as they tied the score with a 5-0 run. Jurevicius started and ended the run with kills. Penn State later used a 6-0 run to go up 19-12. Mendelson had a block and a kill during that stretch. The Nittany Lions controlled the rest of the set until Grimes closed the match with an ace.

Up Next

Penn State hosts Northwestern on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Wildcats are 12-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten following a 3-0 win over Rutgers on Friday.