No. 8 Penn State (22-4, 15-2 B1G) at Rutgers (8-20, 2-15 B1G) | Sunday, Nov. 24 - Noon | Live Stats | Listen | BTN+ ($)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The eighth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball goes on the road for the seventh time in nine matches as it travels to New Jersey to take on Rutgers on Sunday at noon. The Nittany Lions have won 13 of their past 14 matches, including three-straight sweeps over Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana.
Penn State is 22-4 overall and 15-2 in the Big Ten. During their stretch of 13 wins in 14 matches, the Lions have beaten two nationally-ranked teams -- Purdue and Illinois -- and a Michigan team that has since joined them in the national rankings. The lone loss came in five sets in a tough environment in front of a sold-out crowd at then-No. 8 Nebraska.
The Lions are 9-2 in road matches this season. Sunday's match is the team's final away contest of the regular season. They will close the regular season with home matches against No. 5 Wisconsin (Nov. 29) and No. 7 Minnesota (Nov. 30).
Rutgers is 8-20 overall and 2-15 in the Big Ten with losses in each of their past five matches. The Scarlet Knights' last win came via sweep over Iowa on Nov. 2.
Penn State holds a 34-9 record in the all-time series and hasn't lost to the Scarlet Knights since 1982. The Nittany Lions have won 37 consecutive sets against the Scarlet Knights dating back to 2001
In a 3-0 win over Rutgers earlier this season, Serena Gray tallied eight kills on .583 hitting. Kaitlyn Hord hit .500 with seven kills and five total blocks.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
FULL NOTES: Penn State at Rutgers
CONSISTENT WINNERS
Penn State has never posted less than 22 wins in a season with Russ Rose as the head coach. The Lions reached 22 wins this season with a victory over Indiana on Wednesday.. The Nittany Lions have recorded at least 30 wins 27 times during that stretch
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions are 502-75 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 second and sixth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage. Hord is hitting .432, good enough for fifth in the nation.Sophomore middle blockers Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray rank second and sixth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage. Hord is hitting .432, good enough for fifth in the nation.
TOP-FIVE ATTENDANCE
Penn State currently ranks fifth in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,620 fans through 14 matches at Rec Hall. The Big Ten holds four of the top five spots and eight of the top 15 spots in the national home attendance rankings.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State stayed at No. 8 in the AVCA Coaches Poll after wins over then-No. 25 Illinois and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 455 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 Wisconsin, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 7 Minnesota, 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 1,902 career digs. She needs 56 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
WINS AGAINST EIGHT CONFERENCES
Penn State's 22 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. Three of the team's seven non-conference wins came against teams that are currently in the top three in the standings of their respective conferences.
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 two Defensive Player of the Week award this season, giving her seven for her career. She won the award on Oct. 14, after averaging 4.00 digs per set in wins over Maryland and Ohio State. Her most recent honor came after totaling a season-high 29 digs in a four-set win over Purdue.
- Gabby Blossom won three Setter of the Week awards this season, the first threeof her career. She received the honor on Oct. 21, after averaging 12.14 assists/set in road wins over Michigan and Michigan State. She then won the next week on Oct. 28 after averaging 12.25 digs/set in wins over No. 17 Illinois and Maryland. Blossom added her third award after a double-double against Indiana and 53 assists in a win over Purdue.
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.
