UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 24 Penn State women's volleyball is set for a pair of Big Ten matches this week. The Nittany Lions go on the road to play No. 20 Minnesota on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, and then return to Happy Valley to host Ohio State on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
Friday's match airs on B1G Network, while Sunday's contest streams on B1G+.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, Nov. 14 | 8 p.m. ET
No. 24 Penn State (14-10, 8-6 B1G) at No. 20 Minnesota (17-8, 7-7 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G Network
Sunday, Nov. 16 | 2 p.m. ET
Ohio State (5-17, 2-12 B1G) at No. 24 Penn State (14-10, 8-6 B1G) | Live Stats | B1G+
OPENING NOTES
• The Nittany Lions moved up one spot in the AVCA Coaches Poll despite a 1-1 showing last week. They dropped a road match to No. 9 Purdue but bounced back with a much-needed 3-1 win at Illinois.
• Penn State is tied for sixth in the Big Ten standings, sitting two matches back of fourth. The Nittany Lions hold wins over two teams ahead of them in the standings -- third-place Wisconsin and fourth-place USC.
SERIES HISTORY - MINNESOTA
• Penn State is 52-15 in the all-time series with Minnesota. The teams first played in 1983.
• The Nittany Lions have won four of the past five matches in the series, including a 3-0 sweep over the 14th-ranked Gophers last season at Rec Hall. Gillian Grimes had 14 digs in that win, while Ava Falduto was right behind her with nine. Maggie Mendelson tallied seven kills and four blocks.
• Penn State is 22-10 against Minnesota in Minneapolis.
• The Nittany Lions are 3-0 against the Gophers under head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.
• Gillian Grimes has averaged 3.64 digs/set and tallied six aces over three career matches against Minnesota. Kennedy Martin played the Gophers one time while at Florida and hit .297 with 15 kills, seven digs, and one ace in a sweep.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
• Minnesota is ranked No. 20 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and is 17-8 overall and 7-7 in the Big Ten following three straight losses to No. 22 USC (3-2), No. 11 Wisconsin (3-1), and No. 1 Nebraska (3-0).
• The Gophers were picked fourth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. Senior outside hitter Julia Hanson and senior outside hitter Mckenna Wucherer were named Preseason All-Big Ten. Wucherer is taking a medical redshirt after an early-season injury.
• Minnesota ranks second in the Big Ten in aces/set (1.78).
• Hanson ranks fourth in the conference in points/set (4.82) and kills/set (4.16).
SERIES HISTORY - OHIO STATE
• Penn State is 55-21 in the all-time series with Ohio State. The teams first played in 1981.
• The Nittany Lions have won four straight matches against the Buckeyes, including a four-set win at the Covelli Center earlier this season.
• Penn State is 28-7 against Ohio State at Rec Hall, including a five-set win the last time the teams met there in 2023. Gillian Grimes had 23 digs in that match.
• The Nittany Lions are 4-2 against the Buckeyes under Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, with wins in each of the past four meetings.
• Kennedy Martin hit .382 with 26 kills, 21 digs, three blocks, and four aces in her lone career match against Ohio State, a 3-1 win earlier this season.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
• Ohio State is 5-17 overall and 2-12 in the Big Ten after back-to-back five-set wins over Maryland and Rutgers last week.
• Those two wins snapped a 12-match losing streak for the Buckeyes.
STREAKS TO WATCH
Gillian Grimes
· 88 straight starts at libero
· 5 straight matches with double-digit digs
Kennedy Martin
· 75 straight matches with double-digit kills when playing at least three sets
SUCCESS AT MATURI PAVILION
• Penn State has seen success recently at Maturi Pavilion with four straight wins, all of which came against nationally-ranked opponents.
• The Nittany Lions took down No. 12 Minnesota with a 3-0 sweep in 2021. They added 3-2 wins over No. 11 Stanford and No. 18 Oregon at the 2022 B1G/Pac-12 Challenge and then beat No. 13 Minnesota 3-1 in 2023.
• Penn State was the lower ranked team in all four of those wins.
CAREER HIGHS SET LAST WEEK
at Illinois
Maggie Mendelson - kills (16)
Gabrielle Nichols - digs (2), blocks (8)
UP NEXT
• Penn State is home for a pair of Big Ten matches when it hosts Michigan State on Friday, Nov. 21, and Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 23.
The 2025 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Musselman's.