UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Kennedy Martin hit .556 with 17 kills, eight digs, and three aces to lead No. 10 Penn State to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-9, 25-23) sweep over Hofstra in a non-conference women’s volleyball match Sunday night at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions wrapped up the season-opening Penn State Invitational with a perfect 3-0 record, adding the win over Hofstra to their victories over UConn and High Point. The Pride went 2-1 at the event.
Martin was named the MVP of the Penn State Invitational and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Alexis Stucky and Gabrielle Nichols. Also making the team were Hofstra’s Beatriz Braga and Constanza Perez Sain, High Point’s Maya Bukovcan, and UConn’s Courtney Grayson.
Penn State hit .326 as a team behind 31 assists from Stucky. Whitney Lauenstein totaled 14 digs to join Martin in double-digits. Nichols was perfect on the attack with four kills on four swings.
The Nittany Lions held Hofstra to .139 hitting. Ava Falduto led all players with 13 digs, while Stucky added six.
Maria Afonso paced Hofstra with seven kills on .333 hitting.
Set 1
Martin hit .538 with seven kills to lead Penn State to a 25-20 win in set one. Falduto put up the same number defensively with seven digs. The Nittany Lions broke a 6-6 tie with a 4-0 run that included kills by Lauenstein and Nichols. They went on to lead by as much as eight at 16-8 after a 5-0 run that was capped by back-to-back kills by Martin. Hofstra only got as close as four the rest of the way before the set ended on a service error.
Set 2
Penn State dominated set two 25-9 behind seven kills on .500 hitting by Lauenstein. Stucky tallied 10 assists as the team hit .600. Martin contributed from the service line with three aces.
Set 3
Martin had another big set with eight kills on .500 hitting as Penn State closed the match with a 25-23 win in set three. The Nittany Lions controlled most of the set and led by five at 19-14 following a service error by Hofstra. The Pride fought back to get within one at 23-22 and again at 24-23. Martin responded with a kill both times, the second of which was match point.
Up Next
Penn State heads to Chicago to play No. 3 Kentucky at Wrigley Field on Sunday, Sept. 6. The match is part of the B1G/SEC Challenge and is the first of a doubleheader at the iconic stadium. Nebraska will play Missouri following Penn State’s match.
The 2026 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.