No. 8 Penn State at Maryland | Saturday, Oct. 26 - 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen | BTN+ ($)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The eighth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team is on the road for the third time in four matches when it travels to take on Maryland at the XFINITY Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. Saturday's match is part of a stretch that will see the Lions play five of six matches on the road, including trips to Iowa and No. 5 Nebraska next weekend.
Penn State is 15-3 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten after upping its winning streak to six matches with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over No. 17 Illinois on Wednesday at Rec Hall. The Lions won after falling behind by two sets for the first time since beating USC at Rec Hall in 2011. The win moved the Lions into second place in the Big Ten standings, one spot behind Wisconsin (8-0).
The serving game of Kendall White has been key to each of the past two Penn State wins. The senior, who still has a shot at breaking the program's all-time digs record, has matched a career high with four aces in each of the past two matches. She had three in one set in a sweep over Michigan State.
Maryland enters at 12-9 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten following a 3-2 win over Northwestern. The Terrapins rank third in the Big Ten in aces, averaging 1.60/set.
Katie Myers has been the top individual player for Maryland. The redshirt sophomore middle blocker leads the conference in blocks/set (1.39) and is second in hitting percentage (.428). Penn State's Kaitlyn Hord is the only player above Myers in hitting percentage at .430.
Penn State leads 27-5-1 in the all-time series with Maryland, including a 6-2 record in College Park. The Lions have won 24 consecutive matches in the series, including a 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 14-25, 15-6) victory at Rec Hall on Oct. 11.
White tallied 21 digs while leading Penn State to the win over the Terrapins earlier this season. Jonni Parker and Serena Gray each had 13 kills. Parker added 11 digs to finish off a double-double. Gabby Blossom also had a double-double with 43 assists and 12 digs. The Lions tallied 11 blocks, including six total blocks from Hord.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
FULL MATCH NOTES: No. 8 Penn State at Maryland
PENN STATE
Record: 15-3
Big Ten: 8-1
2018: 26-8 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Russ Rose
At Penn State: 1,287-209 (41st)
Overall: 1,287-209 (41st)
Location: University Park, Pa.
MARYLAND
Record: 12-9
Big Ten: 4-5
2018: 18-14 (9-11 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Adam Hughes
At Maryland: 30-23 (second)
Overall: 30-23 (second)
Location: College Park, Md.
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions are 495-74 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 .435, good enough for fifth in the nation, while Gray his hitting .377, which is good enough for 46th in the nation.
TOP-FIVE ATTENDANCE
Penn State currently ranks fifth in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,628 fans through 12 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 1,776 career digs. She needs 182 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
WINS AGAINST EIGHT CONFERENCES
Penn State's 15 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.
BIGGEST COMEBACK (SET)
Penn State's biggest comeback to win a set this season came during a sweep at Michigan State on Oct. 20. The Lions trailed 21-14 before battling back to win the set 26-24. They went on to score the first six points of the second set.
BIGGEST COMEBACK (MATCH)
Penn State came back from two sets down to beat Illinois 3-2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-15, 30-28, 15-13) at Rec Hall on Oct. 23. The Illini had four chances at match point in set four. It was the first time the Lions erased a 2-0 set deficit in a win since beating USC on Aug. 27, 2011. That match was also played at Rec Hall.
