UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 2020-21 Penn State women's volleyball season finally gets underway this weekend as the ninth-ranked Lions travel to take on No. 24 Michigan on Friday and Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m., at Cliff Keen Arena
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Watch Live ($): Big Ten Network+
• Live Stats: MGoBlue.com
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State begins its 45th season of women's volleyball when it goes on the road to play two matches at Michigan this weekend.
• Head coach Russ Rose returns for his 42nd season with the Nittany Lions, who he has led to an appearance in all 39 NCAA Tournaments. Rose's next win will be the 1,300th of his illustrious career.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
• Michigan is ranked 24th in the nation and was picked to finish sixth in the highly-competitive Big Ten.
• Junior outside hitter Paige Jones was voted to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. She was an AVCA third-team All-America selection last year as a sophomore.
• The Wolverines went 21-11 overall and 13-7 in the Big Ten last season. That was good enough for a sixth-place finish in the conference standings and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Northern Kentucky in the opening round before being swept by Kentucky in the next round.
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State leads 52-5 in the all-time series with Michigan.
• The Lions have won four straight against the Wolverines, with the last loss coming in 2016.
• Penn State is 23-4 against Michigan in matches player in Ann Arbor.
• The Lions won 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22) in Ann Arbor last season. Kaitlyn Hord hit .419 with 16 kills and six blocks in that match. Gabby Blossom had 51 assists and seven digs. Jonni Parker posted a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs, while Jenna Hampton contributed 12 digs.
CAPTAINS
• Juniors Jonni Parker and Gabby Blossom were named team captains for the 2020-21 season.
STRONG JUNIOR CLASS
• The junior class of Penn State is one of the best in the country, featuring four All-Americans – Gabby Blossom, Serena Gray, Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker – plus Jenna Hampton, who has seen significant time in the back row during her two seasons with the Lions.
• Blossom, Gray, Hord and Jonni Parker have combined for seven All-America honors and five All-Big Ten accolades.
LIONS WELCOME EIGHT NEWCOMERS
• Eight fresh faces are on the Penn State women's volleyball team this season, joining 10 returning players.
• The eight newcomers include three transfers – Keatan Broughton (West Virginia), Hannah Flowers (Memphis) and Anastasiya Kudryashova (Rutgers).
• The other five are freshmen, including Annie Cate Fitzpatrick, Maddy Bilinovic, Macy Van Den Elzen, Sam McCool and Allie Holland.
SEASON OPENERS
• Penn State is 35-6 in season-opening matches under head coach Russ Rose.
• During that stretch, the Lions have defeated 30 different teams from 13 conferences.
• The Lions have won eight consecutive season-opening matches, with the last loss coming to Oregon in 2011.
13 MATCHES ON TV
• Nearly 60 percent of Penn State's matches are scheduled to be on TV this season, with the possibility of more being added as the season progresses.
• The Lions are scheduled to have 12 matches on Big Ten Network and one match on ESPNU.
UP NEXT
• Penn State welcomes Ohio State to Rec Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. The match will air live on Big Ten Network.
