Creighton โคVolleyball Falls to Penn state in Seasonโ Opener
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Lincoln, โฃNEB – By alex-carter, world-today-news.com
Teh Creighton Bluejays, under the direction of โฃnew headโ coach Brianโข Rosen, began their 2025 campaign with a challenging 3-0 โdefeat against the reigning national champions, the Penn state nittany Lions,โ on Saturday. The match,aโค nationally televised event on FS1 as โคpart of the AVCAโ First Serve,drew a spirited crowd of 10,438 to Pinnacle Bank Arena.
match Details
Penn State secured the โvictory with set scores of โ25-18, 25-22, and 27-25. Despite a valiant effort, Creighton struggled to find its rhythm against a formidable Penn State team.
Martin Leads the charge for Creighton
Creighton’s offenseโค was spearheaded โby Ava Martin, a โขNational Player of the Year candidate and the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year. Martin delivered a strong performance,recording 19 kills and 9โฃ digs while hitting .357. However, her efforts โweren’t enough to overcome Penn State’s balanced attack.
the Bluejays finished with โ39 kills, 49 digs, five blocks, and five aces, hitting .167 as a team.
A Competitive โขContest
The first set was deceptively close, withโ both teams trading points early โคon. Nine ties indicated the initial competitiveness,but Penn โคState โultimately pulled โฃaway with a dominant 9-2 run to close out the set 25-18. โflorida transfer Kennedy Martin made her Penn state debut, contributingโค six kills in the โฃopening frame.
The second set saw Penn State establish an โearly lead, extending it toโ asโข much as 20-12. A late surge from โCreighton,โ ignited by the introduction of freshman Abbey Hayes andโค her twoโค service aces, brought the Bluejays within striking distance. Though, Penn State held on to win 25-22, hitting .302 for the set.
Creighton displayed resilience in the third set, jumping to a 6-2 lead. Penn State quickly respondedโค with consecutive aces, shifting the momentum. The set was a back-and-forth affair,featuring โคnine ties and three lead changes. A solo block by Brandewie gave Creighton a 16-13 advantage, but Penn State battled back to tie โคthe score. Creighton even had multiple set point opportunities โ(24-22, 24-23, and 25-24), but Penn State consistently โanswered, ultimately securing the match โwith a block and a killโ from former Nebraska redshirt carolineโค Jurevicius.
Penn State’sโฃ Dominant Performance
Penn State showcasedโข a well-rounded attack, tallying 47 kills, 52 digs, eight blocks, and seven service aces.Kennedy Martin led the Nittany Lions with โ14 killsโค and 9 digs, hitting.344. Jordan Hopp also contributed significantly with 10 kills โฃon .562 hitting.
Looking Ahead
Creightonโค will look to rebound next Friday at โ8:30 p.m. โCT when they face No. 5 Texas in Madison, Wis., as part of the Opening Spike Classic. The match will be televised on โคBTN.