UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 2020-21 Penn State women's volleyball season finally gets underway this weekend as the ninth-ranked Lions host Illinois on Friday and Saturday at Rec Hall. Friday's match is scheduled for 9 p.m., and will air live on Big Ten Network. Saturday's match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and is available to stream on Big Ten Network+.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, Feb. 5 | 9 p.m.
Big Ten Network (TV) | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 6 | 6:30 p.m.
Big Ten Network+ ($) | Live Stats
MATCH NOTES
Penn State | Illinois
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State begins its 45th season of women's volleyball when it hosts Illinois for two matches 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 ILLINI
• Illinois, which is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, is 2-2 on the season with two wins over Iowa and two losses to No. 1 Wisconsin.
• Sophomore middle blocker Kennedy Collins is hitting .364 with 21 kills. She had eight kills on .583 hitting in the team's most recent match against Wisconsin.
• The Illini are averaging 2.27 aces/set, which ranks second in the Big Ten. Taylor Kuper has 12 aces in 15 sets in addition to leading the conference in digs/set (4.67).
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State leads 47-11 in the all-time series with Illinois.
• The Lions have won six of the last seven matches against Illinois, including both matches in 2019.
• Penn State is 25-3 against Illinois in matches played in State College.
• The Lions won 3-2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-15, 30-28, 15-13) at Rec Hall last season. Jonni Parker (17 kills, 15 digs) and Gabby Blossom (58 assists, 13 digs) each posted double-doubles. Serena Gray tallied 17 kills on .378 hitting.
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 freshman, 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.
UP NEXT
• Penn State travels to play two matches at No. 4 Minnesota on Feb. 13-14.
