No. 17 Illinois at No. 8 Penn State | Wednesday, Oct. 23 - 8 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen | BTN (TV)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The eighth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team is set to host a match between nationally-ranked Big Ten teams when it welcomes No. 17 Illinois to Rec Hall on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The match will air on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State (14-3, 7-1 Big Ten) enters with a five-match winning streak, beating Iowa, Maryland, Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State in Big Ten contests. The Lions are tied with Minnesota and Nebraska for second place in the conference standings, sitting behind Wisconsin (8-0).
The Lions are coming off two solid wins on the road that helped them jump to ninth nationally in RPI. They defeated Michigan in four sets on Friday and then erased a seven-point deficit in the first on their way to a sweep over Michigan State on Sunday.
Gabby Blossom earned the team's third Big Ten weekly award of the season Monday. She was named the Setter of the Week after averaging 12.14 assists/set in the wins over the Wolverines and the Spartans. Kaitlyn Hord was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 9, and Kendall White was the Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 14.
Illinois, which made the NCAA Final Four last season, enters at 9-8 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten. The Illini are in the toughest part of their league schedule, losing to No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday and No. 7 Minnesota on Saturday before coming to play the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions.
Penn State leads 45-11 in the all-time series with Illinois, including a 24-3 record at Rec Hall. The Lions have won four of the past five meetings in the series, but the Illini won the most recent by a 3-2 score in Champaign.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
FULL NOTES: No. 17 Illinois at No. 8 Penn State
PENN STATE
Record: 14-3
Big Ten: 7-1
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1,286-209 (41st)
Overall: 1,286-209 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
ILLINOIS
Record: 9-8
Big Ten: 4-4
2018: 32-4 (17-3 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Chris Tamas
At Illinois: 64-23 (third)
Overall: 64-23 (third)
Location: Champaign, Ill.
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions are 494-74 all time in Big Ten play, posting a winning percentage of .870. 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.
STRONG IN THE MIDDLE
Sophomore middle blockers Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray rank first and sixth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage. Hord is hitting .449, good enough for fifth in the nation, while Gray his hitting .377, which is good enough for 47th in the nation.
TOP-FIVE ATTENDANCE
Penn State currently ranks fifth in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,760 fans through 11 matches at Rec Hall. The Big Ten holds five 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 Michigan and Michigan State on the road last week The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 451 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 1,755 career digs. She needs 203 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
WINS AGAINST EIGHT CONFERENCES
Penn State's 14 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.
- Gabby Blossom won one Setter of the Week award this season, the first of her career. She received the honor on Oct. 21, after averaging 12.14 assists/set in road wins over Michigan and Michigan State.
