UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 14 Penn State women's volleyball is set to travel to play a top-10 opponent on B1G Network for the third-straight weekend as the Nittany Lions head to Lincoln to take on No. 3 Nebraska on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Lions then stay on the road for a match at Iowa on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Friday night's match is one of many that will feature Penn State on national TV this season. It is the fourth of 11 scheduled on B1G Network this season.
The Lions are 2-2 against nationally-ranked opponents, beating then-No. 11 Stanford and then-No. 18 Oregon. They lost to then-No. 8 Wisconsin and then-No. 6 Ohio State.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 14
8:30 p.m. ET | at No. 3 Nebraska (14-1, 6-0 B1G) | B1G Network | Live Stats
Saturday, Oct. 15
8 p.m. ET | at Iowa (7-10, 1-5 B1G) | Watch| Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY - NEBRASKA
• Penn State is 11-25 in the all-time series with Nebraska. The teams first played in 1981.
• The Huskers have won four straight matches in the series dating back to 2018. The Lions' last win came in the first of two meetings in 2018.
• Penn State is 3-19 against Nebraska in Lincoln. The Lions' last road win over the Huskers came in 2013.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• Nebraska enters the match ranked No. 3 in the nation. They've beaten several currently ranked opponents this season, including No. 20 Pepperdine (3-0), No. 21 Creighton (3-2), No. 19 Kentucky (3-0), No. 6 Ohio State (3-2), and No. 24 Michigan (3-0). Their only loss was to No. 7 ranked Stanford.
• Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 6.0 digs per set during Nebraska's sweeps of Michigan State and Michigan last weekend. She was honored as AVCA National Freshman of the Year in 2021.
• Senior outside hitter Madi Kubik leads the team with 172 kills and is averaging 3.37 kills per set. She's second on the team with 194 assists, averaging 5.54 per set. Kaitlyn Hord is seventh in the nation in blocks per set with 1.53.
SERIES HISTORY - IOWA
• Penn State is 56-0 in the all-time series with Iowa. The teams first played in 1991.
• The Lions have won 16 straight sets against the Hawkeyes, with the last set loss coming in a 3-1 win in 2017.
• Penn State is 27-0 in road matches against Iowa.
SCOUTING IOWA
• Iowa is 7-10 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten following a 3-2 win over Indiana.
• Mari Hinkle ranks first in the Big Ten in digs/set (4.39).
• Iowa was picked 12th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll.
NEAR THE TOP IN BLOCKS
• Penn State ranks sixth in the nation in blocks per set with 2.87.
• Allie Holland ranks 14th in the nation in blocks per set with 1.44. She has tallied 72 blocks total on the season.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State sweot Illinois to close out the weekend 1-1 after dropping a five-set match to No. 6 Ohio State.
• Freshman Alexa Markley finished the match with a career-high 10 kills hitting .350.
• Setter Seleisa Elisaia added to an impressive 2022 campaign totaling 35 assists and six digs against the Illini. She has 608 assists and 130 digs on the season.
• Kashauna Williams continued her strong season with 15 kills against Illinois. She had 15 or more kills in consecutive matches this weekend and leads the Nittany Lions with 187 kills.
PENN STATE VS. BIG TEN
• Penn State is 614-120-1 all-time against current members of the Big 10.
• The Lions have winning records against 12 of the 13 teams in the conference. They have a winning percentage of better than .730 against all 12 of those teams.
REC HALL SUCCESS
• Penn State is 690-51 (.931) all-time at Rec Hall.
• The Lions are 321-33 (.907) against Big Ten opponents at Rec Hall and 369-18 (.953) against non-conference opponents.
UP NEXT
• Penn State is back on B1G Network when it travels to College Park to take on Maryland on Friday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. The Lions then host Rutgers on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m.