UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 14 Penn State women's volleyball looks to build off a great opening weekend of Big Ten play when it travels to play Maryland, a team that also had a big win over the weekend. The Lions went 2-0, including a win over No. 3 Ohio State on Sunday, while the Terrapins beat No. 2 Wisconsin on Friday before falling to Minnesota two days later.
Just five of the 14 teams in the Big Ten remain unbeaten after the opening weekend. Joining Penn State with 2-0 records are Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Purdue.
Wednesday, Sept. 29
8 p.m. | No. 14 Penn State (9-3, 2-0 B1G) at Maryland (13-1, 1-1 B1G) | Live Stats | Big Ten Network
Match Notes
SERIES HISTORY - MARYLAND
• Penn State is 28-5-1 all-time against Maryland in a series that began in 1976.
• The Lions have won 25 consecutive matches in the series. The Terrapins last win came in 1979.
• Penn State is 7-2 against the Terrapins in matches played at Maryland.
• The teams will play for the first time since 2019. The Lions won both matches that season, winning in five sets at home and in three sets on the road.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
• Maryland is 13-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten following a 3-0 (25- 13, 25-12, 25-16) loss to Minnesota on Sunday. The Terrapins were coming off a huge 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-10) over then-No. 3 Wisconsin, the two-time defending Big Ten champion.
• Maryland ranks third in the nation in blocks/set, averaging 3.20. Rainelle Jones leads the nation individually, averaging 1.98 blocks/set.
• The Terrapins had 15 blocks in the win over Wisconsin. Jones had 11 with four solo and seven block assists.
NATIONAL RANKINGS STREAK
• Penn State has been ranked in 493 consecutive AVCA Coaches Polls.
• The Lions have appeared in every poll since the final rankings of the 1988 season.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State swept then-No. 3 Ohio State 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-21) at Rec Hall to improve to 2-0 in the Big Ten.
• Ohio State was the highest-ranked team beaten by Penn State since No. 3 Minnesota in 2018 and the highest-ranked team swept by the Lions since 2015.
• Adanna Rollins had her best match as a Nittany Lion against the Buckeyes, totaling 14 kills on on .524 hitting while adding six digs.
• Penn State hit .380 as a team behind setter Gabby Blossom's 36 assists in addition to 13 digs. Jonni Parker hit .379 with 12 kills, Kaitlyn Hord hit .467 with eight kills and four blocks, Allie Holland had five blocks, and Erika Pritchard contributed nine kills.
FORMER PENN STATER LEADS MARYLAND
• Maryland head coach Adam Hughes is a 2008 Penn State graduate and served as a manager during his time as a student. He returned to Happy Valley to be the team's director of operations from 2010-13. The 2013 Penn State team won the national title.
• During Hughes's time as a manager/practice player and director of operations, Penn State won three national titles and eight Big Ten championships.
PENN STATE LEADS NATION IN BLOCKS
• According to the NCAA stats site, through matches on Sept. 26, Penn State leads the nation in blocks/set, averaging 3.32.
• Kaitlyn Hord ranks fourth in the nation in blocks/set, averaging 1.76. Allie Holland ranks 57th, averaging 1.26/set.
• Hord has six matches with at least seven blocks this season, including 10 in a 3-0 win over St. John's.
WEEKLY AWARDS
• Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (1) -- Jonni Parker (9/6)
• Big Ten Setter of the Week -- Gabby Blossom (9/27)
UP NEXT
• Penn State travels to play Indiana on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Hoosiers are 7-7 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten following a 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20) loss to Purdue in their most recent match.