The No. 12 Penn State women's volleyball team is back in action after sustaining its first loss of the season to No. 3 Kentucky in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge and bouncing back with a sweep vs. DePaul on Monday.
After a few days off, the Nittany Lions will face another ranked opponent: No. 4 Stanford. The Cardinal lost its most recent matchup against No. 19 Texas A&M on Wednesday and hope to redeem themselves with a big win vs. the blue and white.
Here's everything you need to know about Penn State's upcoming match.
How to watch No. 12 Penn State vs. No. 4 Stanford
- Date: Friday, Sept. 11
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Venue: The Palestra (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- How to Watch (TV): Big Ten Network
- Streaming: fuboTV
- Penn State record: 4-1
- Stanford record: 4-1
Penn State vs. Stanford series history
The Nittany Lions are the underdog in this series history, but not by much. Stanford holds a 14-13 record over Penn State all-time, but the Cardinal lost the most recent matchup between the two teams. In 2022, the Nittany Lions beat Stanford 3-2.
Key Nittany Lions and Cardinal to watch
Penn State:
- Outside hitter - Haley Burgdorf
- Outside hitter - Finley Krystkowiak
Let's step away from the strong duo of Kennedy Martin and Whitney Lauenstein and shine a light on two true freshmen who have started making a name for themselves early in the season.
Krystkowiak crushed it against the Wildcats on Sunday night and picked her team up when Penn State needed a little extra juice and the ball back on its side of the court. Aside from her highest total block count, which she improved to three against DePaul, Krystkowiak has season-highs in kills (10), points (11), and digs (2) against Kentucky. That's a huge sign of her early success, having the ability to step up in big moments and not shy away from the stage. Friday evening will be a similar big stage environment at The Palestra.
Burgdorf is finding her footing on the outside, though she's flying a little under-the-radar right now. Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley is still determining the best rotation for that outside spot when Lauenstein isn't there, and Burgdorf is putting up a fight vs. a loaded outside hitter room. In Monday's match, she totaled eight kills and 8.5 points while tacking on an additional five digs. Her ability to play defense makes her stand out in that attacker room, and it will come in handy against the Cardinal on Friday.
Stanford:
- Middle blocker - Lizzy Andrew
- Setter - Logan Parks
Stanford has a pretty old team with massive talents in opposite hitter Jordyn Harvey, outside hitter Julia Blyashov, and outside hitter Ipar Kurt.
However, the junior middle blocker is separating herself from her fellow attackers. Andrew leads the team in kills (63) and points (78.0), which is nine kills and 7.5 points away from Harvey who is second-most on the team in both categories. In addition to her power at the point of attack, Andrew leads the team in blocks with 28. Harvey, again, is behind her in second place with 19 on the season so far. She might not be a danger as a defender, but having that kind of threat in the middle is something the Nittany Lions must watch out for on Friday.
Setting up these upperclassmen hitters, Parks is only a sophomore and is very well-rounded. She is third in digs (46) and fourth in blocks (12) on the team, and can put the ball down into the court as well (eight kills). Parks also leads Stanford in aces with 10. Of course, her greatest strength is at her position as a setter. The Nittany Lions' Alexis Stucky is a big deal and an amazing setter, so the fact that Parks is outplaying her this early on in the season is impressive. The Cardinal has 213 assists so far in 2026. It's clear that she and her attackers have good chemistry, she's smart when she gets that second touch, and she knows how to score.
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