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had three blocks in the second set vs. LSU, and setter Sophie Walls had a match-ending ace against Holy Cross. But the sophomore class is the team's biggest and likely its most impactful con- tingent. It has a number of difference- makers, a list headlined by Hord and right side hitter Jonni Parker. A year ago, Parker won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and was a third-team All-American, hav- ing led Penn State in points (421.5) and kills (351). She's off to a strong start this year, too, earning All-Tournament notice at the Cyclone Invitational at Iowa State. Hord won honorable mention All- America honors last year, and she, too, has picked up where she left off, receiving Big Ten Player of the Week notice after hitting .545 and averaging 3.3 kills per set at the Cyclone Invitational. "In Kaitlyn's case, the stronger she gets, the greater her contributions will be at the level we're playing at," Rose said. "She's an especially strong net player. She's improved a lot. Jonni came in as a really highly touted player, as did Kaitlyn, and plays really hard. I know that she probably wants to set a lot more than this roster allows her to do. But she plays re- ally hard and does all the things we need her to do. In the end, to me, that's the most important thing – players do what the team needs them to do. Jonni com- petes hard and wants to win, and that's more important than putting an asterisk next to a player's name for a position they play. It's what their intent is. She wants to win, and I'm a big fan of that sort of be- havior." A year ago, Penn State went 26-8 and finished fifth in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions went on a run at NCAAs, as they often do, reaching the regional finals. For Parker, Hord and the rest of last year's freshmen, it was a learning experience. "I would definitely say there were points throughout the season where we as a whole were like, 'OK, we can't do this, we've got to do this in this moment,' " Parker said. "There were points where we knew we had to rely on key players." The Lions came up just short of the final four last year, losing to Stanford, 3-1, at Maples Pavilion. This year's final four is set to take place in Pittsburgh, less than a three-hour drive from Penn State's cam- pus, but the path won't be easy. Before Rose and his team can even start thinking about NCAAs, they must negotiate a Big Ten schedule that features six opponents that were ranked in the AVCA Top 25 as of mid-September, as well as a home-and- home nonconference series against sixth- ranked Pitt. But Penn State has won seven national championships under Rose, so this is a program that should never be underesti- mated. The Nittany Lions were up to No. 4 in the poll heading into the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, and there's plenty of reason to believe that they have the po- tential to live up to that ranking by the time the NCAA tournament opens. They may be short on experience, aside from a handful of veterans such as senior libero Kendall White, last year's Big Ten Defen- sive Player of the Year. But as Rose pointed out, there are other attributes that a team can lean on. "It's not always a matter of skill. Some- times it's a matter of will," he said. "Some teams we've had have been the most skill- ful teams. This team might have to com- pete with some more will than skill." ■ Penn State's appearance in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge ended in a split, as the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions lost to No. 1 Stanford, 3-1, in the opening match before rebounding to sweep No. 10 Oregon the following night. Penn State took the :rst set from Stanford but came up short in front of 5,178 fans Sept. 13 at Rec Hall. The Cardinal bounced back from a 29-27 loss in set one to take the next three, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21. Sophomore Kaitlyn Hord led the Nittany Lions against the defending national champions, recording 16 kills with a .517 hitting percentage and six total blocks. Sophomore Gabby Blos- som registered the team's :rst dou- ble-double of the season with a career-high 52 assists and 10 digs. Her previous career high in assists was 41 during her freshman season. The :rst set had the large crowd on Wear White night on their feet, as Penn State outlasted Stanford to get the two-point win. The Lions faced set point before sophomore Allyson Cathey came through with back-to- back kills to set Penn State up for set point. A kill by Jonni Parker put the Lions up one, 28-27, and they closed it out on their fourth chance with a kill by Hord. Penn State came out ;at in the sec- ond set, falling behind 7-1 early. The outcome of the set appeared to be locked up when Stanford took a 10- point lead, 19-9, but the Nittany Lions chipped away, and a 4-0 run cut the de:cit to three, 21-18. The Lions got within one, 22-21, thanks to back-to- back kills by Tori Gorrell and Parker. They pulled within one again at 24-23 on a kill by Hord, but Stanford tied the match with the next point. It was more of the same in the third set, as the teams went down to the wire again, battling to a 23-23 tie. Audriana Fitzmorris gave Stanford the lead with a kill and then put her team ahead 2-1 in the match as she combined with Holly Campbell on a block. The Cardinal then went on to clinch the match with a 25-21 victory in set four. Against Oregon, Parker :nished with 15 kills, eight digs and four total blocks, as the Lions prevailed, 25-21, 29-27, 25-19, at Rec Hall. It was Penn State's :rst victory of the season over a ranked opponent and its sixth sweep. The Ducks were swept by Minnesota the night before. ■ W O M E N ' S V O L L E Y B A L L Nittany Lions fall to Stanford, sweep Oregon

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