UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 11 Penn State is on B1G Network for the sixth time in 10 matches when it hosts No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. It is the team's annual Dig Pink match, which helps raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
Saturday, Oct. 29
8:30 p.m. ET | #6 Ohio State (14-5, 10-1 B1G) at #11 Penn State (17-5, 6-5 B1G) | B1G Network | Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State is 51-20 in the all-time series with Ohio State. The teams first played in 1981.
• The Buckeyes won the first meeting between the teams this season by a 3-2 score in Columbus.
• Penn State is 27-6 against Ohio State at Rec Hall, including a sweep when the Buckeyes were ranked third in the nation last season.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
• Ohio State, which entered the week ranked sixth in the nation is 14-5 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are on a nine-match winning streak, with their last loss coming over a month ago at Nebraska on Sept. 24.
• The Buckeyes rank first in the Big Ten and 16th in the nation in kills/set (14.04) and first in the Big Ten and 18th in the nation in assists/set (13.09).
• Mac Podraza ranks first in the Big Ten and 15th nationally in assists/set (10.91).
LAST MEETING
• Ohio State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match and a 17-11 lead in set three before Penn State came back to win that set and the fourth. The Buckeyes won 15-11 in the fifth set.
• The Lions had 11 aces in the match.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
• The Lions are in the middle of a stretch where they will travel for at least one match for seven consecutive weeks. Included in that stretch are trips to Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska, Iowa, Maryland, Illinois, Rutgers, Indiana, and Purdue.
ANOTHER TOP-10 OPPONENT
• Saturday marks Penn State's fifth match of the season against an opponent that is currently in the top 10 of the AVCA Coaches Poll. The previous four meetings were against No. 1 Nebraska, No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 8 Stanford.
PROGRAM WIN MILESTONE
• Penn State is just two wins away from reaching 1,400 victories in program history.
• The Lions would become just the second NCAA Division I team to reach the milestone.
PENN STATE VS. BIG TEN
• Penn State is 617-132-1 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.
ELISAIA WINS SECOND B1G AWARD
• Seleisa Elisaia picked up her second Big Ten Setter of the Week honor of the season on Monday, earning the award after helping Penn State post wins over Maryland (3-1) and Rutgers (3-0).
• Elisaia tallied 12.57 assists, 2.14 digs, 0.57 blocks and 0.43 aces while guiding Penn State to a .286 hitting percentage in the two Big Ten wins.
• She excelled in a four-set road victory that snapped Maryland's three-match winning streak, totaling a career-high 55 assists and eight digs.
NATIONAL RANKINGS STREAK
• Penn State was ranked No. 11 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll.
• The Lions have now been ranked for 513 consecutive weeks dating back to the end of the 1988 season.
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Maryland on Wednesday at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on B1G Network.
