UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Serena Gray recorded a career-high 18 kills and hit above .700 for the second time in one day while leading No. 8 Penn State to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-7) win over Wichita State in a non-conference women's volleyball match Saturday night at Rec Hall.
Gray was named the MVP while helping the Nittany Lions post a perfect 3-0 record at the Penn State Classic. She was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Gabby Blossom, Jonni Parker and Kendall White.
Penn State didn't lose a set in the tournament, adding 3-0 wins over Hofstra and Holy Cross prior to the match against Wichita State.
Gray hit .702 with 34 kills and added four blocks over three matches. She closed the tourney with a .708 hitting percentage against Wichita State, which came on the same day that she tallied 13 kills on .765 hitting against Holy Cross.
The Lions hit .474 against the Shockers and .478 for the tournament.
Blossom contributed 36 assists against the Shockers and had three of the team's six aces. Keeton Holcomb finished with two aces, while Gray added one.
Blossom averaged 34.3 assists while starting all three matches over the weekend. White did her part, averaging 9.3 digs.
Parker continued to showcase her all-around play. The returning All-American averaged 11.5 kills and 7.3 digs, including eight kills against the Shockers.
Wichita State went 2-1 in the tournament with wins over Hofstra and Holy Cross. Sophia Rohling paced the team with five kills against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State now turns its attention to a pair of tough road matches as it will travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on Iowa State and LSU at the Cyclone Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
Iowa State is 1-1 following a 3-1 win over Ole Miss, while LSU is also 1-1 after posting a 3-1 win over Houston.
The Lions are off to a 3-0 start for the third consecutive season.
