UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 2 Penn State Women's Volleyball is set to play two nationally-ranked opponents for the second-straight week when it travels to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for the State Farm Women’s Volleyball Showcase.
The Nittany Lions, who defeated No. 12 Creighton and No. 14 Kansas to open the season last week, will play No. 13 Arizona State on Sunday at 5 p.m., and No. 25 TCU on Monday at 5 p.m. Both matches will air on FOX.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Sunday, Aug. 31 | 5 p.m.
#2 Penn State (2-0) vs. #13 Arizona State (1-0) | Live Stats | FOX
Monday, Sept. 1 | 5 p.m.
#2 Penn State (0-0) vs. #14 Kansas (0-0) | Live Stats | FOX
OPENING NOTES
• The Nittany Lions open the season with four straight ranked opponents for the first time since 2007 when they played No. 4 Texas, No. 4 Texas again, No. 18 Cal Poly, and No. 1 Nebraska. They went on to win the national title that season.
• Penn State’s first four matches of the season are at neutral sites. The Nittany Lions don’t play a true road match until traveling to Maryland on Oct. 5.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State opened the season with wins over No. 12 Creighton (3-0) and No. 14 Kansas (3-2) at the AVCA First Serve Showcase. The Nittany Lions played the Bluejays at Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Jayhawks at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• Kennedy Martin was named the AVCA Player of the Match after hitting .344 with 14 kills, nine digs, two blocks, and one ace in the sweep over Creighton. She was then named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Tuesday.
• Caroline Jurevicius was named the AVCA Player of the Match after hitting .393 with 14 kills in the five-set win over Kansas.
• Izzy Starck was named to the AVCA All-First Serve Team after averaging 11.38 assists and 3.13 digs/set over the two wins.
SERIES HISTORY - ARIZONA STATE
• Penn State and Arizona State will play for the first time.
• Jordan Hopp is the lone player on the current Penn State roster to have played against Arizona State.
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE
• Arizona State went 30-3 overall and won the Big 12 with a 17-1 record last season. The Sun Devils made the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year, falling to Texas A&M in the NCAA Second Round.
• The Sun Devils were picked third in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. Junior outside hitter Noemie Glover, and sophomore libero Faith Frame were named to the Big 12 Preseason Team.
• Glover spent the previous two seasons at Oregon, while Frame played her freshman season at Cincinnati.
SERIES HISTORY - TCU
• Penn State is 1-0 in the all-time series with TCU. The Nittany Lions won the lone matchup 3-0 at Rec Hall in 2014.
• Jordan Hopp is the lone player on the current Penn State roster to have played against TCU. She appeared in three matches against the Horned Frogs while at Iowa State.
SCOUTING TCU
• TCU went 22-8 last season and advanced to the NCAA Second Round before falling to Oregon in four sets.
• The Horned Frogs were picked fifth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. Senior outside hitter Jalyn Gibson was named to the Big 12 Preseason Team.
• Gibson made the AVCA All-Southwest Region Team and the All-Big 12 First Team last season.
STREAKS TO WATCH
Gillian Grimes
· 12 straight matches with double-digit digs
· 5 straight matches with at least one ace
Kennedy Martin
· 55 straight matches with double-digit kills
Team
· 14 straight wins
UP NEXT
• Penn State plays its home opener against No. 7 Kentucky on Friday at 8 p.m. The match will air on FOX.
The 2025 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.