UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 13 Penn State Women’s Volleyball welcomes Princeton and Central Michigan to Rec Hall for the Penn State Classic this weekend. The Nittany Lions open play at the event with a match against Princeton on Friday at 7 p.m., and then play Central Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m. Both matches will stream on B1G+.
FAN INFO
• FAN INFO- Please see this link for important information that includes ticketing, parking, and bag policy for the venue.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, Sept. 19 | 7 p.m.
Princeton (4-2) at No. 13 Penn State (4-4) | Live Stats | Watch
Saturday, Sept. 20 | 2 p.m.
Central Michigan (3-7) vs. Princeton (4-2) | Live Stats | Watch
Sunday, Sept. 21 | 2 p.m.
Central Michigan (3-7) at No. 13 Penn State (4-4) | Live Stats | Watch
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State continues its long homestand with non-conference matches against Princeton on Friday and Central Michigan on Sunday. It is the fifth and sixth of nine straight home matches for the Nittany Lions.
• The Nittany Lions are 50-7 at Rec Hall in Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s four seasons as head coach. They went a perfect 20-0 at home last season.
• Penn State averaged 4,543 fans through its first four home matches – against No. 4 Kentucky, New Hampshire, Bucknell, and No. 5 Pittsburgh.
PENN STATE CLASSIC
• Penn State is 127-4 all-time in the Penn State Classic. The event has been held all but three seasons - 2010, 2011, 2020-21 - since 1980.
• The Nittany Lions have won 19 straight matches in the event. They have won 57 of 59 sets played during that stretch.
SERIES HISTORY - PRINCETON
• Penn State is 9-2 in the all-time series with Princeton. The teams first played in 1977.
• The Nittany Lions have won eight straight matches in the series, including the most recent last season at Rec Hall.
• Penn State is 4-0 against the Tigers at Rec Hall.
SCOUTING PRINCETON
• Princeton is 4-2 after back-to-back wins over Iona (3-0) and Coppin State (3-0).
• The Tigers were picked second of eight teams in the Preseason Ivy League Poll. Junior setter Sydney Draper, senior middle blocker Lucia Scalamandre, and sophomore Jackie Onyechi were selected to the All-Ivy Second Team last season.
• Princeton has put together 10 straight winning seasons.
PENN STATE AGAINST THE IVY LEAGUE
• Penn State is 31-2 all-time against current members of the Ivy League.
• The Nittany Lions have played four of the eight teams in the conference and have a winning record against all four. They are unbeaten against three Ivy League opponents, going a combined 22-0 against Brown, Pennsylvania, and Yale.
• Penn State went 2-0 against the Ivy League last season, including a sweep over Princeton.
SERIES HISTORY - CENTRAL MICHIGAN
• Penn State is 4-0 in the all-time series with Central Michigan. The teams first played in 1987.
• The teams will play for the first time since 1994, when the Nittany Lions swept the Chippewas at Rec Hall. They are 4-0 against the Chippewas all-time at Rec Hall.
• Penn State has lost just one set against Central Michigan, coming in the first-ever match between the teams.
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
• Central Michigan is 3-7 following three straight losses against Bradley (3-0), Jacksonville State (3-1), and Michigan (3-0).
• The Chippewas were picked third out of 12 teams in the Preseason MAC Poll.
• Central Michigan returns senior outside hitter Natalia Rejment, middle blocker Abby Olin, and sophomore middle blocker Grace Thomas, who were selected to the Preseason All-MAC Team.
• Central Michigan head coach Arielle Wilson was a four-time National Champion and three-time All-American for the Nittany Lions from 2007-10.
PENN STATE AGAINST THE MAC
• Penn State is 43-3 all-time against current members of the Mid-American Conference.
• The Nittany Lions have played 11 out of the 12 teams in the conference. They are unbeaten against 10 MAC opponents, going a combined 36-0 against Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Toledo.
• Penn State’s three losses have all come to Western Michigan in 1980, 1986, and 1987.
STREAKS TO WATCH
Gillian Grimes
· 4 straight matches with at least one ace
Addie Lyon
· 3 straight matches with at least one ace
Kennedy Martin
· 59 straight matches with double-digit kills when playing at least three sets
· 4 straight matches with at least one ace
Emmi Sellman
· 3 straight matches with double-digit kills
NATIONAL RANKING STREAK
• Penn State was ranked No. 13 in the latest AVCA Poll.
• The Nittany Lions have been ranked in 554 consecutive AVCA Coaches Polls, which dates back to the final poll of the 1988 season.
WIN THE FIRST SET
• Penn State has won the first set in 1,419 of its 1,768 matches all-time, or 80 percent of the time.
• Of those 1,419 matches in which the Nittany Lions won the opening set, they went on to win the match 1,327 times, or 94 percent of the time.
UP NEXT
• Penn State opens Big Ten play against No. 19 USC on Friday, Sept. 26. The match is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Rec Hall.
The 2025 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.