Maryland at No. 8 Penn State | Friday, Oct. 11 - 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen | BTN+ ($)
Ohio State at No. 8 Penn State | Saturday, Oct. 12 - 8 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen | BTN (TV)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 8 Penn State is at Rec Hall for two matches this weekend as it hosts Maryland on Friday and Ohio State on Saturday in Big Ten women's volleyball action. Saturday's match against Ohio State will be the team's annual Dig Pink event.
Penn State improved to 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-21) win over Iowa on Saturday. The Lions improved to 54-0 in the all-time series with the Hawkeyes.
After this weekend, the Lions will have played 10 of their first 14 matches of the season at Rec Hall. They follow this weekend by playing five of their next six matches on the road.
Maryland is 9-7 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. The Terrapins are coming off a 3-2 win over Michigan State. It was their first ever win over the Spartans. Penn State leads 26-5-1 in the all-time series with Maryland, including a 12-0 record at Rec Hall. The Lions haven't lost to the Terps since 1979, a streak of 23 straight wins.
Ohio State is 8-8 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten after three-straight losses to Michigan, Michigan State, and then Michigan again. The Lions lead 49-16 in the all-time series with the Buckeyes, including a 25-5 record at Rec Hall. They haven't lost a home match to the Buckeyes since 2004..
FULL NOTES: Maryland/Ohio State at Penn State
PENN STATE
Record: 10-3
Big Ten: 3-1
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1,282-209 (41st)
Overall: 1,282-209 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
MARYLAND
Record: 9-7
Big Ten: 1-3
2018: 18-14 (9-11 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Adam Hughes
At Maryland: 27-21 (second)
Overall: 27-21 (second)
Location: College Park, Md.
OHIO STATE
Record: 8-8
Big Ten: 1-3
2018: 12-20 (3-17 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Geoff Carlston
At Ohio State: 228-161 (11th)
Overall: 421-225 (19th)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
HUGHES RETURNS TO HAPPY VALLEY
Maryland head coach Adam Hughes is a 2006 Penn State graduate. He worked as a student manager for the women's volleyball team and then came back to work as a volunteer assistant coach and as the director of operations.
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions are 490-74 all time in Big Ten play, posting a winning percentage of .869. Penn State has had a winning record in Big Ten play every season since joining the conference in 1991. The Lions went undefeated with a 20-0 record against conference opponents in six of those seasons.
STRENGTH IN THE MIDDLE
Sophomore middle blockers Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray rank first and second in the Big Ten in hitting percentage. Hord is hitting .467, good enough for fifth in the nation, while Gray his hitting .433, which is good enough for 10thin the nation.
TOP-FIVE ATTENDANCE
Penn State currently ranks fourth in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,791 fans through nine matches at Rec Hall. The Big Ten holds five of the top 10 spots in the national home attendance rankings.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State dropped to No. 8 in the AVCA Coaches Poll after splitting a pair of matches last week, falling to Wisconsin and sweeping Iowa. The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 449 consecutive polls dating back to the end of the 1988 season.
BIG TEN LEADS THE WAY IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Four Big Ten teams appeared in the top 10 of the most recent AVCA national rankings — No. 5 Nebraska, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 7 Wisconsin, and No. 8 Penn State. Only one other conference — the Big 12 with No. 1 Baylor and No. 4 Texas — has multiple teams in the top 10.
WHITE NEARS DIGS RECORD
Senior Kendall White ranks third in program history with 1,684 career digs. She needs just two to pass Kim Kumfer (1989-92) for second and needs 274 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
WINS AGAINST EIGHT CONFERENCES
Penn State's 10 wins this season have come against teams from eight different conferences, including the CAA, Patriot League, American Athletic Conference, Big 12, SEC, Pac 12, ACC, and Big Ten.
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.
