No. 8 Penn State at Michigan | Friday, Oct. 18 - 7 p.m. | Live Stats | BTN+ ($)
No. 8 Penn State at Michigan State | Sunday, Oct. 20 - 2 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After opening the season with 11 of its first 15 matches at Rec Hall, No. 8 Penn State women's volleyball hits the road for five of its next six matches. The stretch starts with two matches this weekend as the Lions play at Michigan on Friday at 7 p.m., and at Michigan State on Sunday at 2 p.m. Sunday;s match will air on ESPN.
Penn State enters with a three-match winning streak, beating Iowa, Maryland, and Ohio State in Big Ten contests. The Lions are tied with Minnesota and Michigan for third place in the conference standings, sitting behind Wisconsin (6-0) and Nebraska (6-1).
Michigan was off to its best start in Big Ten play in program history, opening with five consecutive wins before losing to Nebraska on Saturday. The Wolverines are 12-4 overall, including a perfect 7-0 record in Ann Arbor. Penn State leads 51-5 in the all-time series and has a 22-4 mark in matches played at Michigan.
Michigan State is 12-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten after beating Iowa 3-2. The Spartans also have league wins over Maryland and Ohio State. The Lions lead 47-7 in the all-time series, including a 21-4 record in East Lansing..
PENN STATE
Record: 12-3
Big Ten: 5-1
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1,284-209 (41st)
Overall: 1,284-209 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
MICHIGAN
Record: 12-4
Big Ten: 5-1
2018: 24-10 (11-9 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Mark Rosen
At Michigan: 422-258 (20th)
Overall: 629-223 (26th)
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
MICHIGAN STATE
Record: 12-4
Big Ten: 3-3
2018: 17-16 (5-15 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Cathy George
At Michigan State: 285-192 (14th)
Overall: 650-419 (33rd)
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
FULL NOTES: Penn State at Michigan and Michigan State
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions are 492-74 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 fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage. Hord is hitting .452, good enough for fourth in the nation, while Gray his hitting .398, which is good enough for 34th in the nation.
TOP-FIVE ATTENDANCE
Penn State currently ranks third in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,760 fans through 11 matches at Rec Hall. The Big Ten holds four of the top 10 spots in the national home attendance rankings.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State remained at No. 8 in the AVCA Coaches Poll after beating Maryland and Ohio State last week The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 450 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. No other conference has more than two teams in the top 10.
WHITE NEARS DIGS RECORD
Senior Kendall White ranks second in program history with 1,716 career digs. She needs 242 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
WINS AGAINST EIGHT CONFERENCES
Penn State's 12 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 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.
- Kendall White has won one Defensive Player of the Week award this season, giving her six for her career. She won the award on Oct. 14, after averaging 4.00 digs per set in wins over Maryland and Ohio State.
