UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 3 Penn State gets its first look at the new era of the Big Ten as the Nittany Lions travel across the country to play two of the conference’s newcomers. The Nittany Lions play at UCLA on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, and then play at No. 16 USC on Saturday at 11 p.m. ET. Both matches will air live on B1G Network.
The Nittany Lions enter at 16-1 overall and join Nebraska as one of two unbeaten teams in the Big Ten at 8-0 thanks to wins over Ohio State and No. 14 Minnesota last week.
Penn State takes a 14-match Big Ten regular season winning streak into the weekend. Their last regular season loss in conference play came to Purdue on Nov. 5, 2023. It is the longest active streak of any Big Ten team.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Thursday, Oct. 24 – 9 p.m. ET
#3 Penn State (18-1, 8-0 B1G) at UCLA (9-8, 3-5 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G Network
Saturday, Oct. 26 – 11 p.m. ET
#3 Penn State (18-1, 8-0 B1G) at #16 USC (14-4, 6-2 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G Network
SERIES HISTORY - UCLA
• Penn State is 6-7 in the all-time series with UCLA. The teams first played in 1983.
• The Nittany Lions won each of the past two meetings with the Bruins, winning a regular season match 3-0 in 2014 and then sweeping them again in the NCAA Regional Semifinal that same season.
• Penn State will play UCLA at Pauley Pavilion for the first time in program history. Eleven of the 13 matchups in the series were played at a neutral site.
• No current Penn State player has played a match against UCLA.
SCOUTING UCLA
• UCLA is 9-8 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten following a 3-0 win at Northwestern.
• The Bruins were picked eighth in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Graduate student middle blocker Anna Dodson was named Preseason All-Big Ten. She was an AVCA All-American last season and is a three-time All-Pac 12 honoree.
• UCLA’s top win in non-conference play came at then-No. 14 Georgia Tech in the season opener.
SERIES HISTORY - USC
• Penn State is 2-2 in the all-time series with USC. The teams first played in 1980.
• The teams haven’t played each other since 2011. The Nittany Lions won that match in five sets.
• Penn State is 0-1 in road matches against USC, losing to the Trojans in the 2000 NCAA Regional Final.
SCOUTING USC
• USC is ranked 16th in the nation and is 14-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten following three straight wins over UCLA (3-2), Maryland (3-0), and Rutgers (3-0).
• The Trojans were picked seventh in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Senior setter Mia Tuaniga was named Preseason All-Big Ten. She was an honorable mention All-American in 2022 and is a two-time All-Pac 12 selection.
• USC’s top win in non-conference play came in five sets over Loyola Marymount.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State remained unbeaten in the Big Ten with wins over Ohio State and No. 14 Minnesota.
• Jess Mruzik put up huge numbers, matching a season high with 29 kills and adding 12 digs and four blocks in a five-set road win over the Buckeyes. Izzy Starck also had a double-double with 50 assists and 12 digs. Gillian Grimes racked up 25 digs, Maggie Mendelson had nine blocks, and Taylor Trammell tallied 11 kills.
• Jess Mruzik hit .325 with 18 kills and 16 digs in the Nittany Lions’ dominant sweep over the nationally-ranked Gophers at Rec Hall. Izzy Starck led the team to .305 hitting with her 46 assists. Camryn Hannah finished with 11 kills, including the 1,500th of her career.
STREAKS TO WATCH
Gillian Grimes
· 7 straight matches with double-digit digs
Jess Mruzik
· 10 straight matches with double-digit kills
Izzy Starck
· 4 straight matches with at least 10.00 assists/set
Team
· 14 straight wins at Rec Hall
· 14 straight Big Ten regular season wins
HOLD THEM UNDER .200
• Penn State has held 15 of its 18 opponents under .200 hitting this season. That includes all six wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
• The Nittany Lions’ six wins over nationally-ranked opponents - No. 4 Louisville, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 10 Purdue, No. 11 Oregon, No. 14 Minnesota and No. 15 Tennessee - the teams combined to hit an average of .139.
UP NEXT
• No. 3 Penn State hosts Michigan on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., and Iowa on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
• Michigan is 15-4 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten following a 3-1 loss to No. 9 Wisconsin.
• Iowa is 9-11 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten after losses to No. 10 Purdue, Northwestern, and No. 11 Oregon.