UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 12 Penn State women's volleyball opens the 2021 women's volleyball season with three matches at the UCF Challenge this weekend. The Lions are set to take on No. 24 Georgia Tech on Friday at 10 a.m., St. John's on Friday at 4 p.m., and host UCF on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
vs. No. 24 Georgia Tech | Friday, Aug. 27, 10 a.m.
Live Stats
vs. St. John's | Friday, Aug. 27, 4 p.m.
Live Stats
at UCF | Saturday, Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m.
ESPN+ ($) | Live Stats
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State opens the 46th season in program history and the 43rd season under the direction of head coach Russ Rose as it travels to Orlando, Florida for the UCF Challenge. The Nittany Lions will take on No. 24 Georgia Tech, St. John's and host UCF at the event, all teams that were in the NCAA Tournament in at least one of the past two seasons.
• The Lions are set to open the season against a ranked opponent for the first time since 2008 when they began with a sweep over No. 12 Hawaii.
• Penn State will play a non-conference opponent in the regular season for the first time since taking on Minnesota at Rec Hall on Nov. 30, 2019.
• The Lions are a perfect 6-0 against Georgia Tech and St. John's. They've never played UCF.
SERIES HISTORY - GEORGIA TECH
• Penn State is 3-0 all-time against Georgia Tech in a series that began in 1993.
• The Lions swept all three matches against the YellowJackets, but the teams haven't played since 1996.
PENN STATE VS. ACC
• Penn State is 95-22 all-time against current members of the ACC.
• The Lions have played 13 of the 15 teams in the ACC and have a winning record against all of them. They are unbeaten against eight of those teams.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
• Georgia Tech is ranked No. 24 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll.
• The YellowJackets earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2009 last season. They beat Lipscomb in the opening round for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2004.
• Georgia Tech was picked third in this season's ACC Preseason Poll.
• Outside hitters Mariana Brambilla and Julia Bergmann were voted to the Preseason All-ACC Team. Both players were first-team All-ACC selections following last season.
SERIES HISTORY - ST. JOHN'S
• Penn State is 3-0 all-time against St. John's in a series that began in 2007.
• The Lions swept all three matches against the Red Storm. The teams last played in 2015.
PENN STATE VS. BIG EAST
• Penn State is 63-6 all-time against current members of the Big East.
• The Lions have played eight of the 11 teams in the Big East and have a winning record against all of them. They are unbeaten against six of those teams.
SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S
• St. John's is the defending Big East regular season champion and was the Big East Tournament champion the season prior to that.
• The Red Storm have won four Big East regular season titles and two Big East Tournament titles under the direction of current head coach Joanne Persico. They have made three NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure.
• St. John's was picked third in the Big East Preseason Poll.
• Outside hitter Efrosini Alexaou was voted the Big East Preseason Player of the Year. The senior is the defending Big East Preseason Player of the Year.
SERIES HISTORY - UCF
• Penn State and UCF will meet for the first time.
PENN STATE VS. AAC
• Penn State is 33-6 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference.
• The Lions have played seven of the 11 teams in the AAC and are unbeaten against five of those teams.
SCOUTING UCF
• UCF has won three straight AAC titles on its way to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Knights advancd to the NCAA Second Round in 2019 with a win over Florida State.
• The Knights are 68-14 overall and 40-2 in the AAC over the past three seasons.
• UCF was picked first in the AAC Preseason Poll.
• Outside hitter McKenna Melville was voted the AAC Preseason Player of the Year. She is the reigning AAC Player of the Year after averaging 4.55 kills/set last season.
PENN STATE GREAT ON GEORGIA TECH STAFF
• Former Penn State great Arielle Wilson is entering her third season as an assistant coach on the Georgia Tech staff.
• Wilson, who graduated from Penn State in 2011 with degree in kinesiology, was a three-time All-American for the Lions.
• Wilson is one of just three players in the history of NCAA Division I volleyball to win four national titles, along with former teammates Blair Brown and Alyssa D'Errico.
SEASON OPENERS
• Penn State is 36-6 in season-opening matches under head coach Russ Rose.
• During that stretch, the Lions have defeated 31 different teams from 13 conferences.
• The Lions have won nine consecutive season-opening matches, with the last loss coming to Oregon in 2011.
PRITCHARD IS B1G KILLS LEADER
• Graduate student Erika Pritchard is the Big Ten's active leader in kills with 1,526.
• Pritchard her first four years at Maryland, the first under former Penn State assistant coach Steve Aird and the final thee under former Penn State assistant coach Adam Hughes.
• Pritchard earned two first-team All-Big Ten honors while playing for the Terrapins.
ALL-B!G HONORS ON ROSTER
• Penn State enters the 2021 season with more All-Big Ten honors on the roster than it ended the previous season with.
• Returning players Gabby Blossom (two), Kaitlyn Hord (three) and Jonni Parker (three) have a combined eight All-Big Ten honors, while incoming transfers Erika Pritchard and Adanna Rollins have two apiece to give the Lions 10 as a team this season.
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Iowa State, Oregon State and LSU for the Penn State Classic at Rec Hall on Sept. 3-4.
