UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 14 Penn State women's volleyball is set for its home opener this weekend as the Nittany Lions host No. 22 Western Kentucky (Friday), Colgate (Saturday), and James Madison (Sunday) for the Penn State Invitational at Rec Hall.
PENN STATE INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 1
11 a.m. | #22 Western Kentucky vs. Colgate | Live Stats | Watch
4 p.m. | Colgate vs. James Madison | Live Stats | Watch
7 p.m. | #14 Penn State vs. #22 Western Kentucky | Live Stats | Watch
Saturday, Sept. 2
11 a.m. | James Madison vs. #22 Western Kentucky | Live Stats | Watch
2 p.m. | #14 Penn State vs. Colgate | Live Stats | Watch
Sunday, Sept. 3
2 p.m. | #14 Penn State vs. James Madison | Live Stats | Watch
PARKING/TRAFFIC
• Penn State football takes on West Virginia on Saturday in their home opener at Beaver Stadium. With multiple events on Saturday, fans can anticipate heavy traffic throughout campus. We encourage fans to purchase their single-match parking in advance on ParkMobile for Nittany Deck or West Deck and arrive early to each match! Be aware parking lots for football open at 8 a.m. and the football one-way traffic pattern starts at 5 p.m. Also, construction on Atherton Street this weekend may delay commutes to and from Rec Hall.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
HOME OPENER NOTES
• Penn State welcomes No. 22 Western Kentucky to Rec Hall for its 2023 home opener. The Nittany Lions also play Colgate and James Madison as part of the Penn State Invitational.
• The Nittany Lions are 44-3 all-time in home openers. They are 1-0 under head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley with a 3-0 win over UConn last season.
• Penn State will play a nationally-ranked opponent in its home opener for just the fourth time in program history. The Nittany Lions lost to No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in 1986 and posted wins over No. 4 Texas in 2007 and No. 9 Stanford in 2012.
• The Nittany Lions have won 11 straight home openers, with the last loss coming to Oregon in 2011.
• Penn State will play its home opener against Western Kentucky for the first time. It is also the first time it will open against a current member of Conference USA.
PENN STATE INVITATIONAL NOTES
• Penn State is 65-2 while hosting the Penn State Invitational 22 times.
• The Nittany Lions defeated UConn, Loyola (Md.), and West Virginia in the Penn State Invitational last season.
• Penn State has won 52 straight matches in the Penn State Invitational. The last loss came to Purdue in 1982.
SERIES HISTORY – WESTERN KENTUCKY
• Penn State is 1-0 in the all-time series with Western Kentucky.
• The Nittany Lions won the only meeting 25-10, 25-22, 25-22 in Louisville, Ky., in 2012.
SERIES HISTORY – COLGATE
• Penn State is 3-0 in the all-time series with Colgate. The teams first played in 1979.
• The Nittany Lions swept all three matches between the teams in 1979, 2007, and 2010.
• Penn State is 2-0 against Colgate at Rec Hall.
SERIES HISTORY – JAMES MADISON
• Penn State is 5-0 in the all-time series with James Madison. The teams first played in 1977.
• Saturday marks the first meeting between the teams since 2000.
• The Nittany Lions are 3-0 against the Dukes at Rec Hall.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
• Georgia Tech is ranked 20th in the AVCA Preseason Poll. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a season in which they went 21-8 and advanced to the NCAA Second Round.
CAREER HIGHS SET LAST WEEKEND
• Gillian Grimes - digs (14) vs. Florida
• Allie Holland - blocks (10) vs. Florida
• Mac Podraza - blocks (7) vs. Georgia Tech
THREE STRAIGHT RANKED OPPONENTS
• Penn State will open the season with three ranked opponents for just the third time in program history, playing No. 11 Florida, No. 20 Georgia Tech, and now No. 22 Western Kentucky.
• The Nittany Lions opened with No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Hawaii, and No. 7 USC in 2005. They opened with five straight ranked opponents in 2007, playing No. 4 Texas, No. 4 Texas again, No. 18 Cal Poly, No. 1 Nebraska, and No. 24 St. John's.
UP NEXT
• Penn State travels to Philadelphia to take on Temple on Friday, Sept. 8, before traveling to play No. 3 Louisville on Sunday, Sept. 10. The match against Louisville will air on ESPN2.
