MADISON, Wis. -- No. 11 Penn State is set to compete in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Regional for the 34th time when it takes on No. 2 Wisconsin on Thursday at the UW Field House. The fourth-seeded Lions and the top-seeded Badgers will play at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Joining Wisconsin and Penn State in the Madison Regional are second-seeded Pitt and third-seeded Florida. The winners between the two matches will meet in the Regional Final on Saturday.
NCAA REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Thursday, Dec. 8
6 p.m. ET | #11 Penn State (26-7, 13-7 B1G) at. #2 Wisconsin (27-3, 19-1 B1G) | ESPNU | Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State is 49-12 in the all-time series with Wisconsin. The teams first played in 1986.
• The Badgers won both matchups this season, sweeping the Lions 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 31-29) in Madison and posting a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12) win in State College.
• Penn State and Wisconsin have met four times in the NCAA Tournament, all at neutral sites. The Lions won all four times, including for the NCAA title in 2013.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
• Wisconsin, which is ranked second in the nation, is 27-3 overall and enters with a 20-match winning streak.
• The Badgers won the Big Ten title with a 19-1 record.
• Wisconsin is the defending national champion.
PENN STATE IN REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
• Penn State is making its 34th appearance in the NCAA Regional Semifinal, meaning they have made it to this round in all but eight of the 42 NCAA Tournaments that have been held.
• The Lions are 20-13 all-time in the Regional Semifinal. They have beaten 19 different teams in the round, including Wisconsin twice.
• Counting this season, Penn State has played in the Regional Semifinal in 19 of the last 20 years.
FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS
• Katie Schumacher-Cawley is the only head coach in the first year with their program to take their team to the NCAA Regional.
NATIONAL RANKINGS STREAK
• Penn State was ranked No. 11 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll.
• The Lions have now been ranked for 518 consecutive weeks dating back to the end of the 1988 season.
