Penn State Sports Magazine
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5 8 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State will be hosting the Wom- en's Frozen Four in March, and it may turn out to be a fortuitous bit of timing. The Nittany Lions are off to a 6-0 start, including a season-opening sweep of No. 9 St. Lawrence, the team that ended their previous campaign in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament last March. Penn State outscored the Saints 8-2 in the two-game series Sept. 25-26 at Pegula Ice Arena, with senior defender Leah Stecker and sophomore forwards Grace Outwater and Nicole Hall each sup- plying a pair of goals. Penn State, which moved up to No. 6 in the USCHO.com coaches' poll, has been clicking on both ends of the ice. Five of the top seven scorers in the Atlantic Hockey America Conference were Nittany Lions as of mid-October, a list headed by Out- water with 6 goals. Meanwhile, fresh- man defender Danica Maynard led the league in assists with 6, and senior for- ward Maddy Christian was tops in points with 8. On the other end of the ice, senior goalie Katie DeSa had the AHA's best goals-against average at 1.20, in part be- cause she had faced only 66 shots. The Lions followed their back-to-back wins over St. Lawrence with sweeps of Vermont (3-1, Oct. 3; 5-3, Oct. 4) and Delaware (5-0, Oct. 10; 7-0, Oct. 11). PSU put together a 5-goal third-period scor- ing barrage in the last of those games, and head coach Jeff Kampersal's team was even more impressive in the defen- sive zone. With freshman goalie Maddy Campbell making her first career start, the Nittany Lion blueliners allowed just 1 shot on goal. The wins over the Blue Hens left Penn State at 2-0 in the AHA heading into a two-game series against Mercyhurst Oct. 17-19 at Pegula Ice Arena. The conference is ultimately just a stepping stone to the real objective of vy- ing for a national championship. Follow- ing the Nittany Lions' season-opening 3-0 shutout of St. Lawrence, DeSa said the Frozen Four was "a very achievable goal for us." "With our defense and our forwards, we're definitely super deep," DeSa told Onward State. "So, yeah, be prepared to see us here in March." ■ Women's Ice Hockey Team Off To Fast Start M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: The 19th-ranked Nittany Lions earned their biggest win of the year when they swept No. 7 Wisconsin on Oct. 10 at Rec Hall. Junior right-side hitter Kennedy Martin hit .474 with 23 kills to help Penn State end the Badgers' 10-match win streak. Martin also had 8 digs and 3 blocks for PSU, which earned its third win of the season over a nationally ranked opponent. Following a 3-1 win over visiting Northwestern on Oct. 11, Penn State was 10-6 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten play. MEN'S SOCCER: Penn State had put together a four-match un- beaten streak before UCLA brought it to an end with a 2-0 victory on Oct. 10 in Los Angeles. The Nittany Lions tied No. 23 Maryland, 2-2, on Sept. 23 at Jeffrey Field, then reeled off wins over Robert Morris (2-0, Sept. 30), Michigan State (2-1, Oct. 3) and King's College (7-1, Oct. 5). Redshirt senior forward Van Danielson and sophomore midfielder Malick Daouda scored against the Spartans in East Lansing, giving Penn State its first Big Ten victory of the year. Heading into its home matchup against Northwestern on Oct. 17, the Nittany Lions were 5-5-2 on the season and 1-3-1 in conference play. WOMEN'S SOCCER: Penn State attempted 22 shots to Oregon's 10 but had to settle for a 2-2 draw on Oct. 12 at Jeffrey Field. Redshirt senior midfielder Julia Raich and sophomore defender Bella Ayscue tallied goals for PSU, with Ayscue scoring on a penalty kick in the 87th minute to help the Nittany Lions rally back from a 2-1 deficit. The match was the first-ever meeting between PSU and Oregon, and it left the Lions with a 7-5-3 record and a 3-3-2 mark in Big Ten action. FIELD HOCKEY: The Nittany Lions dropped their fourth in a row when they were shut out at Northwestern, 4-0, on Oct. 10. Heading into a visit from Iowa on Oct. 17, Penn State hadn't won a game since defeating Michigan State, 2-0, on Sept. 26. Against the visiting Spartans, PSU broke a scoreless tie late in the fourth quarter with goals by freshman forward Olivia Marthins and senior forward Ella Jennes. The Lions were 5-7 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play following their loss to Northwestern. CROSS COUNTRY: Sophomore Ada Rand finished in a personal-best 20:10.3, placing 15th in the 6-kilometer women's race and helping Penn State place second behind Villanova in the team standings at the Paul Short Run on Oct. 3 in Bethlehem, Pa. In the 8K men's race, junior Nick Sloff finished 14th in 23:30.9, and Penn State was sixth in the team standings. — Matt Herb O L Y M P I C S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Senior forward Maddy Christian was leading the Atlantic Hockey America conference with 8 points through Penn State's first six games. PHOTO BY BEN BURRELL/PENN STATE ATHLETICS