UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sophomores Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray combined for 30 kills and each hit over .700 as No. 8 Penn State rolled to a 3-0 (25-5, 25-12, 25-14) win over Holy Cross in non-conference women's volleyball action Saturday morning at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 at the season-opening Penn State Classic. They wrap up competition at the event tonight at 8 p.m., with a match against Wichita State.
Hord finished with 17 kills on .727 hitting and added four blocks, while Gray tallied 13 kills on .765 hitting and had a pair of blocks. The two middles combined to commit just one error on their 39 attacks.
Sophomore Allyson Cathey joined the pair with double-digit kills, recording 10 with an outstanding .562 hitting percentage. The Lions hit .538 as a team while holding Holy Cross to .061.
Sophomore Gabby Blossom registered 38 assists, just three away from matching her career high of 41. Sophomores Jonni Parker (12) and senior Kendall White (10) each had double-digit digs. White ranks third in program history with 1,538 after passing Noelle Zientara (1987-90) during the season opener on Friday.
Sixteen players saw the court for the Nittany Lions. Lauren Clark, Gabi Bailey, Sophie Walls, Molly Russell, and Emily Oerther all made their Penn State debuts. Walls clinched the second set with an ace.
Gracyn Benck led Holy Cross with eight kills. The Crusaders dropped to 0-2, which includes a loss to Wichita State on Friday at Rec Hall.