Trending
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State heads west for a pair of Big Ten matches this week. The Nittany Lions play at UCLA on Friday at 10 p.m. ET, and at USC on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
• With the addition of a Big Ten Tournament in 2026, the conference regular season schedule has been shortened to 17 matches with every team playing each other one time.
• The Nittany Lions will play eight Big Ten matches at Rec Hall this season and nine on the road.
• Penn State was picked third in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll. UCLA was voted ninth, while USC came in at seventh.
• The Nittany Lions and Bruins are currently in a four-way tie for fourth place through six matches of the Big Ten schedule. The Trojans are in a four-way tie for 12th.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State swept both Northwestern and then-No. 20 Washington at Rec Hall last week.
• Kendall Northern had a career-best match against the Wildcats, hitting .923 with 12 kills and no errors on her 13 attacks.
• Kennedy Martin recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 kills and 13 digs in the win over the nationally-ranked Huskies.
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts No. 13 Oregon for the team's annual Dig Pink match on Friday, Oct. 23. The Ducks are 14-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten following five straight wins over then-No. 15 Minnesota (3-1), then-No. 10 Purdue (3-2), Illinois (3-1), then-No. 22 Michigan State (3-1), and Michigan (3-1).
• The Nittany Lions then travel to play No. 15 Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 25. The Hoosiers are 10-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten after back-to-back losses to No. 1 Nebraska (3-0) and USC (3-0).
SERIES HISTORY – UCLA
• Penn State is 7-8 in the all-time series with UCLA. The teams first played in 1983.
• The Nittany Lions are 1-1 against the Bruins under coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, winning in five sets in Los Angeles in 2024 but falling in four sets at Rec Hall last season.
• Penn State will play UCLA in Los Angeles for just the second time.
• Kennedy Martin hit .403 with 34 kills, nine digs, and three blocks in her lone career match against the Bruins last season. She hit .583 with 15 kills and two blocks in the fourth set of that match.
SCOUTING UCLA
• UCLA is 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten following three straight wins over Michigan (3-0), Maryland (3-2), and Rutgers (3-1).
• The Bruins' top win in non-conference play based on RPI came by a 3-1 score over Utah, which enters the week ranked No. 25 in the RPI.
• UCLA was picked ninth in the 18-team Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior libero Lola Schumacher and senior middle blocker Marianna Singletary were named Preseason All-Big Ten.
• The Bruins rank third in the Big Ten in blocks/set (2.86). Marianna Singletary ranks first in the Big Ten and third nationally with 1.68/set.
SERIES HISTORY – USC
• Penn State is 4-2 in the all-time series with USC. The teams first played in 1980.
• The Nittany Lions are 2-0 against USC under head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, winning in four sets in Los Angeles in 2024 and in five sets at Rec Hall last season.
• Penn State is 1-1 in road matches against USC.
• Kennedy Martin hit .292 with 29 kills, 13 digs, five blocks, and two aces in her lone career match against USC last season. She was in on each of Penn State's final eight points in the fifth set, totaling six kills and two blocks during that stretch.
SCOUTING USC
• USC is 8-8 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten following a 3-0 sweep over then-No. 15 Indiana in its most recent match.
• The Trojans' top non-conference win was a 3-0 sweep over Arizona State, which enters the week 16th in the RPI.
• USC was picked seventh in the 18-team Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. Redshirt senior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina and sophomore opposite Abigail Mullen were named Preseason All-Big Ten.
• The Trojans rank first in the Big Ten in blocks/set (2.89). Mia Tvrdy ranks second individually with 1.36/set.