Michigan State University
18-9,8-9Big Ten
Penn State
16-11,10-7Big Ten
Spartans Fall at No. 24 Penn State
11/21/2025 9:04:00 PM | Volleyball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Michigan State volleyball fell in three sets to defending national champion and 24th-ranked Penn State (25-15, 25-19, 25-23) Friday night inside Penn State's Rec Hall.
MSU falls to 18-9 and 8-9 in the Big Ten with the result, while PSU improves to 16-11 and 10-7.
The Nittany Lions hit .278 for the match and led in kills (47-32), service aces (4-2) and digs (56-48), while the teams were even in total blocks with nine each.
Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska led the Spartans in total kills with a match-best 12 for her 16th match of the season with double-digit kills. She also posted 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Junior libero Lia Schneider added a team-best 16 digs, while freshman outside hitter Bianca Mumcular added seven kills and nine digs.
Junior middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig had a team and match-best six total blocks and was one of two Spartans to record a service ace alongside Schneider. Redshirt freshman setter Malayah Long provided a team-high 23 assists.
MSU got on the board with an Evie Doezema kill after PSU opened up a 3-0 lead to start the first set. The Nittany Lions followed with five-straight points to force an MSU timeout at 8-1. After PSU got out to an eight-point lead at 13-5, MSU used kills from Doezmea, Carmen Waye and Staniszewska and a pair of PSU attack errors to close the gap to five with a 5-2 run at 15-10. The Spartans cut the deficit to five two more times with a PSU attack error and Courtley kill, but the Nittany Lions closed the set on an 8-3 run to take the first, 25-15.
Back-to-back kills from Mumcular and Waye got MSU within a point at 4-3 after PSU opened the second set on a 3-0 run. The Nittany Lions responded with three-straight points to extend their lead to four at 7-3 before the Spartans used kills from Doezema, Staniszewska and Schneider along with a Schneider service ace and block from Kulig and Doezema to go on a 6-1 run and take a one-point lead at 9-8. PSU followed with a 5-2 run to take back a two-point lead at 13-11 before a Mumcular kill and Courtley and Waye block tied the set at 13-13. Back-to-back PSU kills gave the Nittany Lions at 15-13 lead at the media timeout, but a Mumcular kill out of the timeout helped the Spartans get back within one at 15-14. PSU stretched its lead back to three with back-to-back kills at 17-14 and again at 20-17 to force an MSU timeout. A Staniszewska kill got the Spartans back within three at 21-18, but a 4-1 run by the Nittany Lions to close the set gave PSU the second, 25-19.
After a back-and-forth start to the third set, MSU called a timeout after PSU used a 4-0 run to take a five-point lead at 12-7. A 3-1 MSU run with two Staniszewska kills and a PSU attack error got the Spartans within three at 13-10 before Mumcular and Waye kills followed by a pair of PSU attack errors tied the set at 14-14 to force a PSU timeout. The teams traded points back-and-forth in the following points until the Nittany Lions used a pair of kills to take a two-point lead at 21-19 and force an MSU timeout. The Spartans came out firing out of the timeout, using kills from Staniszewska and Waye and a block from Long and Waye to take a one-point lead at 22-21 and force PSU into a timeout of its own. The Nittany Lions used a kill out of the timeout to tie the set at 22-22 before a PSU service error gave the Spartans a one-point lead again at 23-22, but three-straight PSU points to follow helped the Nittany Lions finish off the set and match, 25-23.
Up next, MSU wraps Big Ten road action at Ohio State on Sunday, Nov. 23 at noon on B1G+.
