No. 5 Wisconsin (21-5, 17-1 B1G) at No. 7 Penn State (23-4, 16-2 B1G) | Friday, Nov. 29 - 6:30 p.m. | Live Stats | BTN (TV)
No. 8 Minnesota (21-5, 15-3 B1G) at No. 7 Penn State (23-4, 16-2 B1G) | Saturday, Nov. 30 - 8 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen | BTN (TV)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Three teams ranked in the top-10 nationally -- all with a chance to win at least a share of the Big Ten women's volleyball title -- will be at Rec Hall this weekend as No. 8 Penn State hosts No. 5 Wisconsin on Friday at 6:30 p.m., and No. 8 Minnesota on Saturday at 8 p.m. Both matches will air live on the Big Ten Network.
The simplest scenario for Penn State is that it can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with a win over both teams. The best route for Wisconsin is that it would win the title outright if it beats Penn State on Friday. The only scenario for Minnesota is that it needs to beat Rutgers and Penn State this weekend and have Wisconsin lose to Penn State and Rutgers to win a share of the championship.
Penn State has won 14 of its past 15 matches, including four-straight sweeps over Illinois, Northwestern, Indiana, and Rutgers, to move to 23-4 overall and 16-2 in the Big Ten. The Lions could finish as high as the outright champs in the conference and as low as fourth.
The Lions are 12-2 at Rec Hall this season, including a perfect 8-0 mark against Big Ten teams. They have played at Rec Hall just twice in their past nine matches.
Wisconsin sits all alone in first place with a 21-5 overall record and 17-1 mark in the conference. The Badgers lone league loss came by a 3-1 score at Ohio State on Nov. 8..
Penn State holds a 49-10 record in the all-time series with Wisconsin, but the Badgers won in four sets when the teams met earlier this season. The Nittany Lions are 25-2 against the Badgers at Rec Hall.
Minnesota is 21-5 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten. Two of the Gophers' league losses came to Wisconsin, while the other came to Nebraska.
Penn State is 48-11 in the all-time series with Minnesota, including a five-set win in the most recent match last season. The Lions are 26-3 against the Gophers at Rec Hall.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
FULL NOTES: Minnesota/Wisconsin at Penn State
STATS/RECORDS NOTES
The Lions are unbeaten at 19-0 when leading 2-0, are 4-0 when leading 2-1, are 20-0 when posting a higher hitting percentage than their opponent, are 20-0 when they have more kills than their opponent, are 19-0 when they have more blocks than their opponent, and are 19-0 when they have more aces than their opponent.
CONSISTENT WINNERS
Penn State has never posted less than 22 wins in a season with Russ Rose as the head coach. The Nittany Lions have recorded at least 30 wins 27 times during that stretch
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions are 503-75 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.
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 moved to No. 7 in the AVCA Coaches Poll after wins over Indiana and Rutgers last week. The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 456 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 Penn State, and No. 8 Minnesota. 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 1,909 career digs. She needs 49 to pass Kaleena Walters (2002-05) to become the all-time leader.
WINS AGAINST EIGHT CONFERENCES
Penn State's 23 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 three of 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.
