Michigan State at No. 5 Penn State | Wednesday, Sept. 25 - 8 p.m. | FS1 | Live Stats
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Big Ten play begins in women's volleyball Wednesday night as No. 5 Penn State hosts Michigan State at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled for 8 p.m., and will air live on FS1.
The Nittany Lions are 7-2 overall after playing four consecutive matches against opponents ranked in the top-10 nationally. Most recently, they split a home-and-home series with Pittsburgh, falling to the Panthers 3-0 at home on Friday before bouncing back with a 3-2 win on the road on Sunday. The Spartans are 9-1 on the season and enter with a five-match winning streak. Their lone loss this season came in five sets to Tennessee.
Penn State has won nine consecutive matches against Michigan State to take a 46-7 lead in the all-time series. The Spartans last win came in 2013 at Rec Hall.
In support and to raise awareness for the International Week of the Deaf, Wednesday's match will include a "silent set" with the fans remaining silent from opening serve until Penn State scores its ninth point of the first set. The ninth point was chose in honor of Jonni Parker, a standout for the Nittany Lions who has a hearing impairment. The All-American wears jersey No. 9.
FULL NOTES: Michigan State at No. 5 Penn State
PENN STATE
Record: 7-2
Big Ten: 0-0
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1279-208 (41st)
Overall: 1279-209 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
MICHIGAN STATE
Record: 9-1
Big Ten: 0-0
2018: 17016 (5-15 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Cathy George
At Michigan State: 282-189 (14th)
Overall: 647-416 (33rd)
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State leads 46-7 in the all-time series with Michigan State, including a current streak of nine consecutive wins dating back to 2013.
• The Lions lead 24-3 in matches played at home against the Spartans.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State dropped one spot to No. 5 in the AVCA Coaches Poll after splitting a pair of matches with No. 6 Pittsburgh this past weekend. The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 447 consecutive polls dating back to the end of the 1988 season.
PENNSYLVANIA LEADS THE WAY IN COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Pennsylvania is one of seven states with multiple teams ranked in the ACVA Top 25, but is the only state with two teams ranked in the top five with Pittsburgh at No. 4 and Penn State at No. 5.
WHITE NEARS DIGS RECORD
Senior Kendall White ranks third in program history with 1,637 career digs. She needs just 49 to pass Kim Kumfer (1989-92) for second and needs 321 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
SEVEN WINS, SEVEN CONFERENCES
Penn State's seven wins this season have come against teams from seven different conferences, including the CAA, Patriot League, American Athletic Conference, Big 12, SEC, Pac 12, and ACC. The Nittany Lions can add a win over an eighth conference with a victory over Michigan State.
BIG TEN AWARDS
Kaitlyn Hord won the team's lone Big Ten weekly award through four 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.
1999 TEAM SET FOR RETURN TO REC HALL
The 1999 Penn State is set to return to Rec Hall on Saturday for the team's match against Rutgers. The team will be honored for the 20-year anniversary of winning the national title.
