No. 4 Women's Volleyball Hosts No. 2 Nebraska with B1G Title on the Line
Penn State can secure at least a share of the championship with a win over the Huskers
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 4 Penn State Women's Volleyball has its eyes on a Big Ten Championship as it wraps up the regular season with match against No. 2 Nebraska on Friday at a sold-out Rec Hall. The matchup between two historical volleyball powers is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will air live on B1G Network.
Penn State enters at 28-2 overall and 18-1 in the Big Ten, sitting just one loss behind first-place Nebraska in the conference standings. The Nittany Lions can clinch at least a share of the conference championship with a win, while the Cornhuskers take the title outright if they win. If the Huskers lose, they can secure a share of the title with a victory at Maryland on Saturday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, Nov. 29 – 5 p.m. ET
#2 Nebraska (28-1, 18-0 B1G) at #4 Penn State (28-2, 18-1 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G Network
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State is 11-28 in the all-time series with Nebraska. The teams first played in 1981.
• The Cornhuskers have won seven straight matches in the series, with the Nittany Lions’ last win coming in 2018.
• Penn State is 4-5 against Nebraska at Rec Hall. Friday’s match is just the fourth against the Cornhuskers at Rec Hall since 2018.
• Jess Mruzik has averaged 3.75 kills/set and 2.44 digs/set in five career matches against Nebraska. Gillian Grimes has averaged 4.17 digs/set in two matches.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• Nebraska is ranked second in the nation and is 28-1 overall and 18-0 in the Big Ten following wins over Iowa and Wisconsin last week.
• The Cornhuskers have won 25 straight matches. Their lone loss of the season came to SMU on Sept. 3.
• Nebraska was picked first in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Senior opposite Merritt Beason, senior outside hitter Taylor Landfair, sophomore outside hitter Harper Murray, sophomore setter Bergen Reilly, and senior libero Lexi Rodriguez were all named Preseason All-Big Ten.
PENN STATE AND NEBRASKA HAVE COMBINED FOR:
12 - National Championships
21 - Big Ten Championships
2,952 - All-time wins
205 - Weeks ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Poll
185 - All-Americans
13 - Olympians
STREAKS TO WATCH
Camryn Hannah
· 12 straight matches with double-digit kills
· 3 straight matches with at least one ace
Quinn Menger
· 5 straight matches with 2+ aces
Jess Mruzik
· 4 straight matches with double-digit kills
· 4 straight matches with double-digit digs
· 4 straight matches with double-doubles
Team
· 19 straight wins at Rec Hall
REC HALL SUCCESS
• Penn State is 724-55 (.930) all-time at Rec Hall.
• The Nittany Lions are 346-38 (.901) against current Big Ten opponents at Rec Hall and 378-17 (.957) against non-conference opponents.
REC HALL STREAK
• The Nittany Lions take a lengthy Rec Hall winning streak into the week, winning 19 straight home matches. The Nittany Lions’ last home loss came to Purdue on Nov. 5, 2023.
UP NEXT
• The NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPN on Sunday at 6 p.m.