UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 13 Penn State women's volleyball begins its longest home stretch of the season (four matches) when it hosts Maryland on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Illinois on Saturday at 4 p.m. Friday is the team's THON match with fans encouraged to wear bright colors, while Saturday is Halloween Night, with fans encouraged to wear costumes.
Friday, Oct. 29
7:30 p.m. (ET) | Maryland (17-5, 5-5 B1G) at No. 13 Penn State (16-4, 7-3 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G+
Saturday, Oct. 30
4 p.m. (ET) | Illinois (14-7, 6-4 B1G) at No. 13 Penn State (16-4, 7-3 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G+
SERIES HISTORY - MARYLAND
• Penn State is 29-5-1 all-time against Maryland in a series that began in 1976.
• The Lions have won 26 consecutive matches in the series. The Terrapins last win came in 1979.
• Penn State is 13-0 against the Terrapins in matches played at Rec Hall.
• The current senior class is 4-0 against Maryland, but two of those matches went five sets. The Lions erased a 2-0 deficit on their way to a win in College Park earlier this season. Kaitlyn Hord had nine blocks in the win, while Penn State finished with 17 as a team.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
• Maryland is 17-5 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten following three straight wins -- Michigan State, Rutgers, Michigan State.
• Sydney Dowler registered her 1,000th career assist in the Terrapins' most recent win over Michigan State,
• Maryland ranks first in the nation in blocks, averaging 3.18/set. Rainelle Jones leads the nation individually, averaging 1.81/set.
SERIES HISTORY - ILLINOIS
• Penn State is 49-11 all-time against Illinois in a series that began in 1981.
• The Lions have won four straight matches in the series, sweeping two-match series in 2019 and 2020. Two of those four matches went five sets.
• Penn State is 27-3 against the Illini at Rec Hall. The Lions have won five straight at Rec Hall, with the Illini's last win there coming in 2014.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois is 14-7 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten following back-to-back wins over Northwestern and Michigan.
• The Illini's biggest win of the season came on the road over then-No. 4 Purdue in five sets.
• Illinois sits just outside the AVCA Coaches Poll, leading the other teams receiving votes with 44 points.
• The Illini lead the Big Ten and rank 17th nationall in aces/set (1.93). Raina Terry leads the team with 35, while Taylor Kuper is right behind her with 32.
A LOOK AT THE BIG TEN STANDINGS
• Penn State is currently fourth in the Big Ten standings, having played one less game than third-place Minnesota.
• The Lions have two more losses than first-place Wisconsin and Nebraska.
TOP WEEKEND MATCHUPS
Saturday - Nebraska at Minnesota - 8 p.m.
Sunday - Wisconsin at Purdue - Noon
NATIONAL RANKINGS STREAK
• Penn State has been ranked in 497 consecutive AVCA Coaches Polls.
• The Lions have appeared in every poll since the final rankings of the 1988 season.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State split road matches against a pair of nationally-ranked Big Ten opponents last weekend, sweeping then-No. 12 Minnesota at Maturi Pavilion before falling in five sets to No. 3 Wisconsin at the UW Field House the following night.
• The Lions hit .356 in the sweep over the Gophers. Allie Holland hit .550 with 12 kills and four blocks, while Kaitlyn Hord hit .444 with 15 kills.
• Against Wisconsin, Penn State totaled 18 blocks. Holland led the way with eight, while Hord had seven in addition to a career-high 21 kills on .475 hitting.
WEEKLY AWARDS
• Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (1) -- Jonni Parker (9/6)
• Big Ten Setter of the Week (2) -- Gabby Blossom (9/27, 10/18)
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Michigan on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m., and Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.