Penn State women's volleyball entered Sunday's match at Wisconsin as the No. 11 team in the country. The Nittany Lions left with another win on their record and good reasoning as to why they are a Top 10 team in college volleyball.
In five sets, they took down the previously ranked No. 7 team in the country. They won the second, fourth, and fifth sets while putting up at least 20 points in the first four. Their offensive weapons really took control over the match, providing sparks from their swings as well as their defensive efforts.
Opposite hitter Kennedy Martin had 32 points on 28 kills, three aces, and two block assists. She finished with a 0.328 hitting percentage with just seven errors on 64 swings. Martin had 12 digs, which was tied for most on the team alongside setter Alexis Stucky. Outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein had 16.5 points on 15 kills and three block assists. Middle blockers Kendall Northern and Gabrielle Nichols continue filling in for Ryla Jones, who has yet to return to the court from a knee injury she suffered against Michigan State. Northern had 11.5 points on nine kills and five block assists; Nichols had 10 points on eight kills, two block assists, and one solo block.
It was a great team effort out of Penn State that extended its win streak to seven matches. Sunday's win also marked the team's sixth over a ranked opponent in 2026. It has just one more Top 25 team on the schedule after Illinois swept Indiana (previously No. 21) and squeezed into the No. 25 spot in the poll.
After that valiant effort in Wisconsin, though, the Nittany Lions remain ranked behind the Badgers. In the updated AVCA Poll, Penn State was ranked No. 10, moving up a spot, while Wisconsin got bumped back two spots to No. 9. The blue and white hold a 19-5 record on the year and the Badgers are 17-7. The two Big Ten teams aren't too far apart in terms of points, though. The Nittany Lions earned 1,042 points and Wisconsin got 1,056.
The only thing Penn State volleyball can do now is win and wait
No. 10 is not a bad spot to be. If the tournament seeding was decided based on games through Nov. 8, Penn State would be a No. 3 seed planted in the Pittsburgh regional. Nebraska, Pitt, Louisville, and Florida are the top four teams in the country, respectively, and would be the hosts of the four regional sites.
However, the playoffs aren't based on the current AVCA Poll and there are still three matches remaining on the Nittany Lions' schedule.
At first glance, the rest of the regular season looks like they shouldn't run into any trouble. They play Maryland and Illinois on the road before capping things off with Rutgers at home before the Big Ten Tournament kicks off. The conference tournament is where Penn State can see just how well it matches up with the best team in the country, the Cornhuskers. That's if it faces Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament, though. There's a chance it doesn't.
Other than a potential meeting with the Cornhuskers, the Nittany Lions' chances of proving they're a national title contender are over. That's where they run into trouble.
Even if Penn State finishes out the regular season with three wins, there's not much substance in arguing those three victories deserve recognition over teams like Arizona State, BYU, Kentucky, and SMU (not to mention the top four teams in the nation). Depending on what else happens around the country, too, those wins could still result in the blue and white dropping in the poll. That wouldn't be a surprise if teams around them in the rankings pull off wins against stronger opponents.
Penn State needs to be in a good position in the NCAA Tournament. In the current scenario of being a No. 3 seed playing in either Nebraska's or Pittsburgh's regional, the Nittany Lions luck out with the latter. However, staying ranked behind Wisconsin increases the probability of falling out of the AVCA Top 10, dropping to a lower seed in the tournament, and facing more talented opponents earlier on in the playoffs.
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