Cincinnati (27-6, 15-1 AAC) vs. Penn State (26-5, 17-3 B1G) | Friday, Dec. 13 (8 p.m., ET) | Live Stats | Watch | Listen | ESPN Radio, 103.7 FM & 1450 AM in State College Area
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State is set to compete in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Regional for the 17th consecutive season when it takes on Cincinnati on Friday at 8 p.m. (ET). The match, which will be played at Stanford's Maples Pavilion, will stream live on ESPN3.
If Penn State wins, it would play the winner between Stanford and Utah in the Regional Friday on Saturday at 10 p.m. (ET). That match will air live on ESPNU.
The Lions are 26-5 overall after wins over Princeton and Towson in the NCAA First and Second Rounds last weekend at Rec Hall. The wins were the 102nd and 103rd postseason victories for head coach Russ Rose, more than any other coach in the sport's history. Rose is the only coach to lead a team in all 39 NCAA Tournaments.
Penn State is 14-5 in the NCAA Regional Semifinal since the tournament moved to 64 teams in 1998. The Lions are 10-4 in the Regional Final.
Cincinnati and Penn State have met five times in program history. The Lions have won all five, including the first NCAA Tournament match for both teams back in 1981.
Cincinnati is 27-6 overall and posted the upset of the tournament with a five-set win over Pittsburgh in the Second Round. The Panthers were the No. 6 overall seed in the bracket. The Bearcats also has a 3-1 win over VCU during the opening weekend of the postseason.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
FIVE EARN ALL-REGION RECOGNITION
Four Penn State players -- Gabby Blossom, Kaitlyn Hord, Jonni Parker, and Kendall White -- earned All-Northeast Region honors on Tuesday, while Serena Gray was named as an honorable mention. It was the third all-region honor for White, the second for Hord and Parker, and the first for Blossom.
WHITE GOES BACK-TO-BACK
Senior libero Kendall White was recently named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, giving her the award for the second-straight season. Penn State has won the award three straight years, including Haleigh Washington in 2017. White is one of four Nittany Lion players that have combined for five Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. She is the first Penn State player to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
ROSE VOTED BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Penn State head coach Russ Rose was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 16th time in the 37 years of the award. Rose picked up his most recent honor with a vote of the league's coaches. Rose has at least 11 more Big Ten Coach of the Year awards than anyone in league history.
FOUR PENN STATE PLAYERS VOTED TO ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS
Four Penn State players were voted to All-Big Ten teams following the regular season. Senior ibero Kendall White, sophomore middle blocker Kaityn Hord, and sophomore opposite Jonni Parker were all unanimous first team selections, while sophomore setter Gabby Blossom earned a spot on the second team.
STATS/RECORDS NOTES
The Lions are unbeaten at 20-0 when leading 2-0, are 5-0 when leading 2-1, are 23-0 when posting a higher hitting percentage than their opponent, are 21-0 when they have more blocks than their opponent, and are 22-0 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
SIXTH IN ATTENDANCE NATIONALLY
Penn State currently ranks sixth in the nation in home attendance, averaging 3,476 fans through 16 matches at Rec Hall. The Big Ten holds six of the top 10 spots in the national home attendance rankings.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Penn State dropped to No. 8 in the AVCA Coaches Poll after beating then No. 5 Wisconsin and then-No. 8 Minnesota two weeks ago. The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 457 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 BREAKS DIGS RECORD
With her third dig in the first set of an NCAA Second Round win over Towson, senior Kendall White became Penn State's career leader in digs. She now has 1,969 entering the NCAA Regional.
WINS AGAINST NINE CONFERENCES
Penn State's 26 wins this season have come against teams from nine different conferences, including the CAA, Patriot League, American Athletic Conference, Big 12, SEC, Pac 12, ACC, Big Ten, and Ivy League. They can add a 10th conference to that list with a win over Cincinnati on Friday.
BIG TEN WEEKLY 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.
