No. 7 Women's Volleyball Opens Season Friday at No. 15 Tennessee
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 7 Penn State Women's Volleyball goes on the road this weekend to open the 2024 season. The 49th season in program history kicks off with a match at No. 15 Tennessee on Friday at 6 p.m., and continues with a match at Temple on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, Aug. 30 – 6 p.m. - Food City Center
#7 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 B1G) at #15 Tennessee (0-0, 0-0 SEC) | Live Stats | ESPNU
Sunday, Sept. 1 – 1:30 p.m. - McGonigle Hall
#7 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 B1G) at Temple (0-0, 0-0 AAC) | Live Stats | ESPN+
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State is set to open the 49th season in program history when it travels to play No. 15 Tennessee on Friday. The Nittany Lions then head straight to Philadelphia to take on Temple on Sunday.
• The Nittany Lions are 38-9-1 all-time in season openers. They are 1-1 in season openers under current head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley as they swept UConn at Rec Hall to begin the 2022 season but fell to then-No. 11 Florida last season at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Amalie Arena.
• Friday’s match against Tennessee will mark the ninth time Penn State has opened a season against a nationally-ranked opponent. It is the second season opener in a row against a nationally-ranked team after not playing one in the opener since taking down No. 12 Hawaii to start the 2008 season.
SERIES HISTORY - TENNESSEE
• Penn State is 5-4 in the all-time series with Tennessee. The teams first played in 1982.
• Friday marks the first match between the teams since 2005, when the Volunteers beat the Nittany Lions 3-1 in the NCAA Regional Semifinal. The Nittany Lions had won four straight matches in the series prior to that.
• Penn State is is 1-0 against Tennessee in Knoxville, winning the only matchup 3-1 in 1988.
• No player on the current roster has played in a match against Tennessee.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
• Tennessee opens the season at No. 15 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Volunteers are coming off a season in which they went 26-5 and advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal.
• Redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr was named Preseason All-SEC. She was a second-team All-American last season.
SERIES HISTORY - TEMPLE
• Penn State is 17-4 in the all-time series with Temple. The teams first played in 1977.
• The Nittany Lions won the past four matchups, including a sweep in Philadelphia last season.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
• Temple is coming off a season in which it went 17-14. The 17 wins were the program’s most since 2017.
• Graduate student outside hitter Taylor Davenport was named Preseason All-AAC. She is the first Owls player to earn the honor since 2021.
2024 CAPTAINS
• Jess Mruzik, Quinn Menger, and Anjelina Starck were named team captains for the 2024 season. All three are first-time Penn State captains.
STREAKS TO WATCH
Jess Mruzik
· 4 straight matches with double-digit kills dating back to last season
AGAINST THE #15 TEAM
• Penn State is 11-9 all-time against opponents that were ranked No. 15 in the nation at the time of the match.
UP NEXT
• Up next for Penn State is the team’s home opener against No. 6 Louisville on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• The match will air live on B1G Network.
• Louisville is off to a 1-0 start after defeating No. 3 Wisconsin 3-1 Tuesday at the AVCA First Serve Showcase.