Penn State women's volleyball is back as the Nittany Lions open their season in the first Spikes Under the Lights tournament at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
They aren't the first team out on the court for the night as No. 1 Nebraska is slated to face No. 17 Florida in the first match of the tournament. All four teams will receive $200,000 for participating in the event and the champion of the tournament will earn an additional $200,000 for their school's NIL.
How to watch No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
- Date: Thursday, Aug. 27
- Time: 9 p.m. ET (approximately)
- Venue: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Tex.)
- How to Watch (TV): TNT
- Streaming: Max
Spikes Under the Lights format
The tournament doesn't count toward any of the teams' 2026 records. While it's not jotting down in the win or loss columns for the four teams, it's an important tournament to see where they are heading into the season.
All programs are ranked and only SMU has played in a game so far this season. The Mustangs beat reigning national champion No. 8 Texas A&M on Sunday, 3-0. This will be the first time the Nittany Lions, Cornhuskers, and Gators hit the court in 2026. Each match will be a best-of-three series.
Match 1: No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 17 Florida
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
Match 2: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
- Time: 9 p.m. ET (approximately, time depending on when Game 1 ends)
Match 3: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
- Time: 10 p.m. ET (approximately, time depending on when Game 2 ends)
Penn State vs. SMU series history
The Nittany Lions and Mustangs have enver played each other in program history. This will be the first time they meet, and a No. 10 vs. No. 11 matchup is the perfect way to kickoff their series.
SMU finished the 2025 season with a 27-6 overall record, including a 2-2 neutral site record. It swept Central Arkansas and Florida in the 2025 NCAA Tournament before falling to Purdue in four sets in the Regional semifinal. The Mustangs finished third in the ACC as well behind Pittsburgh and Stanford, holding a 17-3 conference record.
Penn State ended its 2025 season with a 19-13 overall record and 3-2 record on neutral ground. The blue and white defeated South Florida, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and fell to Texas in the second round in a 3-0 sweep. They finished seventh in the Big Ten with a 12-8 conference record.
Key Nittany Lions and Mustangs to watch
Penn State:
- Opposite hitter - Kennedy Martin
- Setter - Alexis Stucky
- Outside hitter - Emmi Sellman
- Libero - Ava Falduto
This will be the first time we see Stucky in a Nittany Lion jersey connecting with her former teammate, Martin. The two played together at Florida and the star right side attacker transferred to Penn State ahead of the 2025 season. Stucky was an offseason addition ahead of 2026.
It will also be the first time seeing Falduto in the libero jersey following Gillian Grimes' graduation. Falduto has been a solid defensive specialist for the Nittany Lions, so her transition to libero should be smooth.
SMU:
- Middle blocker - Favor Anyanwu
- Outside hitter - Suli Davis
- Libero - Victoria Harris
- Setter - Hannah Beauford
Davis was an offseason addition via the Transfer Portal coming from BYU. In the first match the Mustangs played, she led the team in kills (15) and attack attempts (38). She and Anyanwu were named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List this preseason.
Beauford is a freshman setter already off to a hot start. She led SMU to a .301 hitting percentage in the first game of the season and was named MVP of the match. She had 33 assists, five digs, three kills, and two blocks in her collegiate debut.
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