UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sole possession of first place in the Big Ten is on the line when No. 13 Penn State women's volleyball hosts No. 10 Nebraska on Friday night. The Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers are the last two teams with unbeaten Big Ten records at 4-0. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network.
The Lions follow the match against Nebraska with a home contest against Northwestern on Saturday. They are 4-0 at Rec Hall this season, including a win in their lone Big Ten home match.
Friday, Oct. 8
7 p.m. | No. 10 Nebraska (10-3, 4-0 B1G) at No. 13 Penn State (11-3, 4-0 B1G) | Live Stats | Big Ten Network
Saturday, Oct. 9
7 p.m. | No. 10 Nebraska (10-3, 4-0 B1G) at No. 13 Penn State (11-3, 4-0 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G+
SERIES HISTORY - NEBRASKA
• Penn State is 11-23 all-time against Nebraska in a series that began in 1981.
• The Huskers won the most recent matchup in five sets in 2019. The match was played in Lincoln. The teams split the two matches in 2018 with Penn State winning in State College and Nebraska winning in Lincoln.
• Penn State is 4-4 against Nebraska in matches played at Rec Hall.
• The last four matches between the teams have gone five sets.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• No. 10 Nebraska is 10-3 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten after posting wins over Northwestern (3-1), Iowa (3-0), Michigan (3-0) and Michigan State (3-0).
• The Huskers have played just three true road matches this season, winning at Creighton and Northwester, and falling at Stanford. They have played just two matches outside the state of Nebraska.
• Nebraska has held its opponents to .154 hitting, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
• The Huskers were picked to finish second in the Big Ten this season. Setter Nicklin Hames and outside hitter Lexi Sun were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
SERIES HISTORY - NORTHWESTERN
• Penn State is 54-9 all-time against Northwestern in a series that began in 1981.
• The Lions have won 31 of the past 32 meetings between the teams. The Wildcats last win came in 2015 and was followed by seven straight Penn State wins.
• Penn State is 28-1 against Northwestern at Rec Hall. The Wildcats won in 1987, and the Lions won 28 straight after that.
• The current senior class has never lost a set to Northwestern, sweeping all three matches.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
• Northwestern is 6-9 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten following a 3-2 loss to then-No. 7 Minnesota. The Wildcats led 2-1 in the match and had four chances at match point in the fourth set.
• The Wildcats also have league losses to Nebraska (3-1) and Illinois (3-2) and a win over Rutgers (3-0).
• Northwestern was picked ninth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. Junior outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara was a Preseason All-Big Ten Selection.
A LOOK AT THE BIG TEN STANDINGS
• We are only one-fifth of the way through the Big Ten schedule and just two teams remain unbeaten in conference play. Sole possession of first place is on the line when Penn State and Nebraska play on Friday.
• Wisconsin and Purdue both won matches on Wednesday to improve to 4-1 and sit in a tie for third place. The Badgers play Illinois on Saturday, while the Boilermakers play Iowa.
UNBEATEN START IN B1G
• Penn State is 4-0 to start the Big Ten schedule for the 17th time in 31 seasons of being in the conference. It is the first time since 2016 the Lions opened at 4-0.
NATIONAL RANKINGS STREAK
• Penn State has been ranked in 494 consecutive AVCA Coaches Polls.
• The Lions have appeared in every poll since the final rankings of the 1988 season.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State ran its winning streak to six matches with a 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22) with a win over Indiana Saturday.
• The Lions continued to win the battle at the net, totaling 13 blocks in the match. Kaitlyn Hord led the effort with six blocks, while Allie Holland and Gabby Blossom added five apiece. Six players were a part of at least one block in the match. Anastasiya Kudryashova had four, Jonni Parker finished with three, and Adanna Rollins contributed two.
• Holland did a little bit of everything for Penn State. She hit .333 with 10 kills and four aces in addition to her five blocks. Hord hit .455 with seven kills from her spot in the middle, while Kudryashova had eight kills.
PENN STATE LEADS NATION IN BLOCKS
• According to the NCAA stats site, through matches on Oct. 3, Penn State leads the nation in blocks/set, averaging 3.32.
• Kaitlyn Hord ranks second in the nation in blocks/set, averaging 1.1.74. Allie Holland ranks 43rd, averaging 1.29/set.
• Hord has seven 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 (1) -- Gabby Blossom (9/27)
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Nebraska for the Wear White match on Friday at 7 p.m. The match will air on the Big Ten Network.