UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The sixth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team is set for a tough test as it heads to Ames, Iowa, this weekend to take on Iowa State and LSU as part of the Cyclone Invitational. The Nittany Lions will play the Cyclones on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and will match up against the Tigers on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Lions are 3-0 after winning the title at the season-opening Penn State Classic, posting wins over Hofstra, Holy Cross, and Wichita State. All three victories came in three sets.
Sophomore Serena Gray was named the Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Jonni Parker, Gabby Blossom and Kendall White. Gray hit .702 over three matches.
FULL NOTES: Cyclone Invitational
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 6
7:30 p.m. | No. 6 Penn State vs. Iowa State | Live Stats | Cyclones.TV ($)
Saturday, Sept. 7
3 p.m. | No. 6 Penn State vs. LSU | Live Stats | Cyclones.TV ($)
PENN STATE
Record: 3-0
Big Ten: 0-0
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1275-206 (41st)
Overall: 1275-206 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
IOWA STATE
Record: 2-1
Big 12: 0-0
2018: 21-13 (9-7 Big 12)
Head Coach: Christy Johnson-Lynch
At Iowa State: 292-144 (15th)
Overall: 292-144 (15th)
Location: Ames, Iowa
LSU
Record: 2-1
SEC: 0-0
2018: 12-17 (7-11 SEC)
Head Coach: Fran Flory
At LSU: 370-263 (22nd)
Overall: 480-377 (29th)
Location: Baton Rouge, La..
SERIES HISTORY
Iowa State: Penn State is 1-0 in the all-time series with LSU. The Nittany Lions won the only meeting 3-0 in 1995.
LSU: Penn State is 9-2 in the all-time series with LSU. The teams haven't played since the Lions won in five sets in Baton Rouge in 2006.
3-0 START
The Nittany Lions are 3-0 to start the season for the third consecutive season and the 31st time in the 44 seasons of the program.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State jumped two spots to No. 6 in the AVCA DIvision I Coaches Top 25 Poll after opening the season 3-0 with wins over Hofstra, Holy Cross, and Wichita State. The Nittany Lions sit behind Stanford, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Minnesota is ranked eighth, giving the Big Ten 50 percent of the top-10 teams.
WHITE NEARS DIGS RECORD
Senior Kendall White ranks third in program history with 1,548 career digs after passing Noelle Zintara (1987-90) during the season opener. She needs 138 to pass Kim Kumfer (1989-92) for second and 410 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
.700 CLUB
Through just three matches, Penn State has already had two players combine for three matches with a .700-plus hitting percentage on at least 10 kills. Serena Gray did it twice at the Penn State Classic, while Kaitlyn Hord did it during the second match of the event against Holy Cross.
PENN STATE TO HOST BIG TEN/PAC 12 CHALLENGE
Following this weekend's matches, Penn State will turn its attention to a big home event as it hosts No. 1 Stanford, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 9 Oregon for the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge. The Nittany Lions will play defending national champion Stanford and Oregon at the event. Friday's night's match against the Cardinal will air live on the Big Ten Network.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.