Big Ten 2023

Penn State counting on home strength this weekend

After dropping their first match in the season, the Nittany Lions will play in front of their fans twice

Published 03:15, 19 Oct 2023

After beating Iowa on the road last week, Penn State will try to do it again in front of their fans (Photo: Penn State)

Penn State dropped their first match in Big Ten women’s volleyball conference play last Saturday, but will be able to count on what has been one of their main strengths so far in the season to get back to winning ways this weekend.

Playing at the Rec Hall, in University Park, Pennsylvania, where they are undefeated in the season, the Nittany Lions will host Iowa on Friday and Purdue on Sunday – the first encounter, set to start at 19:00 local time (23:00 UTC), will be streamed live for VBTV subscribers around the world.

Watch the Big Ten Volleyball matches live on VBTV.

Penn State’s nine-match winning streak came to an end by the hands of Big Ten powerhouse Nebraska, who overcame the Nittany Lions in straight sets on the road on Saturday. With seven wins and one loss, the team ranks third in the division.

Back at their stadium, Penn State are confident in picking two more wins at home. The team has been undefeated at the Rec Hall this season, where they won three Big Ten duels and five non-conference matches, while dropping seven sets. Their current home winning streak extends to 11 matches if the final matches of last season are considered.

The 17-time Big Ten winners have faced Iowa on the road exactly one week ago, on October 13, and walked away with a 3-0 win.

Senior middle blocker Allie Holland, who ranks second in the conference in blocks with 88, is another weapon of the Nittany Lions heading into the home weekend. She had seven blocks against Nebraska on Saturday.

Middle is closed#WeAre pic.twitter.com/FQuzXxzPqm
— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 15, 2023

Another big match over the weekend will reunite defending champions Wisconsin and Nebraska on Saturday, at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Sunday) – this encounter will be streamed live for VBTV subscribers outside of North America and will be available of demand for fans anywhere on the world 24 hours later.

Both teams are undefeated in the season, with nine conference and 18 overall wins, sharing the top spot of the Big Ten standings.