MATCH DAY: No. 12 Women's Volleyball to Play at Palestra for First Time in 41 Years

VOLLEYBALL AT THE PALESTRA
• Penn State is set to play at The Palestra for the first time in 41 years when it takes on No. 4 Stanford on Friday at 6 p.m. The Nittany Lions then return to Happy Valley to play Ohio University at Rec Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m.
• Stanford and Penn State have won more National Championships than any other team in the history of NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball. The Cardinal rank first with nine titles, including their most recent in 2019, while the Nittany Lions rank second with eight championships, including their most recent in 2024.
• The match is a part of the Palestra 100 Celebration. The historic venue first opened its doors on Jan. 1, 2027.

PHILLY TAKEOVER
• Philadelphia will be full of Penn State fans this weekend. In addition to the volleyball match between the 12th-ranked Nittany Lions and fourth-ranked Stanford, Penn State’s 16th-ranked football team plays Temple at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, on Saturday at noon.
• The Penn State men’s basketball team also plays at The Palestra this season. The Nittany Lions take on Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 8.

LAST TIME OUT
• Just one day after playing a match at Wrigley Field, Penn State swept a road match at DePaul.
• Whitney Lauenstein hit .333 with 16 kills, while Kennedy Martin hit .333 with 15 kills. Alexis Stucky (37 assists, 11 digs) and Ava Falduto (13 digs, 10 assists) each posted double-doubles.

UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Villanova on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The match will air on FS1.
• The Wildcats are 4-2 with a 3-2 win over Colgate in their most recent match.

SERIES HISTORY - STANFORD
• Penn State and Stanford will play for the 28th time in program history. The Cardinal lead the all-time series 14-13.
• The teams will play for the first time since 2022 when Penn State won in five sets at Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion. That is the only match between the teams during Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s time as Penn State head coach.
• Kennedy Martin has hit .349 while averaging 5.29 kills and 1.29 blocks per set over two career matches against Stanford, both while at Florida. 
• After Friday, Penn State and Stanford will have played in 17 different cities/towns in 14 different states.

SCOUTING STANFORD
• Stanford is ranked fourth nationally and is 5-0 to start the  season with wins over then-No. 6 Wisconsin (3-1), then-No. 15 Kansas (3-1), South Florida (3-1), Marquette (3-1), and No. 19 Texas A&M (3-0).
• The Cardinal were picked as the preseason favorite in the ACC Coaches Poll. Junior middle blocker Lizzy Andrew, senior outside hitter Julia Blyashov, sophomore libero Spencer Etzler, senior opposite Jordyn Harvey, and sophomore opposite/setter Logan Parks were all named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.
• Andrew and Parks were both named to the AVCA Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.

SERIES HISTORY - OHIO
• Penn State and Ohio will play for the third time in program history. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 2-0.
• The Nittany Lions won both previous meetings, sweeping the Bobcats in Honolulu in 2008 and again in Happy Valley in 2017.
• Ryla Jones is the lone player on the Penn State roster to have played against Ohio. She hit .800 with four kills and two blocks in Pitt’s sweep over the Bobcats in 2025.

SCOUTING OHIO
• Ohio is 4-2 to start the season following a 3-0 loss at Butler in its most recent match.
• The Bobcats were picked fourth in the 11-team MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Sophomore opposite Bailey Blair and senior middle blocker Emily Waddell were named to the Preseason All-Mac Team.