UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 4 Penn State women's volleyball team continues the toughest part of its non-conference schedule this weekend as it plays a home-and-home slate with No. 6 Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions host the Panthers at Rec Hall on Friday at 8 p.m., in a match that will air live on the Big Ten Network, and will then make the trip to play at the Petersen Events Center on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Lions are 6-1 overall after splitting a pair of matches with a loss to then-No. 1 Stanford and a win over then-No. 10 Oregon last weekend at the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge. The two matches against Pittsburgh this weekend will make it four straight top-10 opponents for the Lions.
Penn State has won 16 straight matches dating back to 1987 in the series with Pittsburgh, but the Panthers are a much-improved team over the past few seasons. They are coming off back-to-back ACC titles and have won 16 consecutive regular season matches dating back to last season. The teams last met in in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Lions won that match 3-1 at Rec Hall.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 20
8 p.m. | No. 6 Pittsburgh (10-0) at No. 4 Penn State (6-1) | Live Stats | Big Ten Network (TV)
Sunday, Sept. 22
1 p.m. | No. 4 Penn State (6-1) at No. 6 Pittsburgh (10-0) | Live Stats | ACC Network Extra
PENN STATE
Record: 6-1
Big Ten: 0-0
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1278-207 (41st)
Overall: 1278-207 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
PITTSBURGH
Record: 10-0
ACC: 0-0
2018: 30-2 (17-1 ACC)
Head Coach: Dan Fisher
At Pittsburgh: 158-47 (seventh)
Overall: 233-49 (ninth)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
FULL NOTES: Penn State vs. Pittsburgh
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State leads 32-17 in the all-time series with Pittsburgh, including a current streak of 16 consecutive wins dating back to 1987.
• The Lions lead 17-3 in matches played at home and are 13-10 in matches played in Pittsburgh.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State remained at No. 4 in the AVCA Coaches Poll despite its first loss of the season. Three of the top five teams in the nation lost last weekend. The Nittany Lions helped solidify their spot by bouncing back with a 3-0 win over No. 10 Oregon.
WHITE NEARS DIGS RECORD
Senior Kendall White ranks third in program history with 1,608 career digs. She needs just 78 to pass Kim Kumfer (1989-92) for second and needs 350 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
SIX WINS, SIX CONFERENCES
Penn State's six wins this season have come against teams from six different conferences, including the CAA, Patriot League, American Athletic Conference, Big 12, SEC, and Pac 12. The Nittany Lions can add a win over a seventh conference (ACC) this weekend.
BIG TEN AWARDS
Kaitlyn Hord won the team's lone Big Ten weekly award through three weeks of the season with Player of the Week recognition following the second weekend of play. She earned the award after being named the MVP at the Cyclone Invitational, where the Lions swept Iowa State and LSU.
