Penn State athletics faced some tests this past week.
Nittany Lion football dropped out of the AP Top 25 Poll and women's volleyball also slipped in rankings. Head coach Matt Campbell's squad must also continue finding answers to missing wide receiver Koby Howard for at least the next few weeks while not letting one loss define them. Katie Schumacher-Cawley's team is still figuring out the perfect combination and rotation on the court.
Here's more on Penn State's weekend.
Penn State falls to Wisconsin, 24-20, in Week 4
Penn State football lost its first game of the 2026 season to Wisconsin, 24-20, after starting the season 3-0 against the non-conference slate.
Quarterback Rocco Becht was 12-of-29 for 129 yards, one interception, and zero passing touchdowns. He was responsible, however, for the single offensive touchdown of the evening. The Nittany Lions defense came up with a pick six and two other interceptions, but couldn't maintain that throughout the full 60 minutes without any sort of assistance from the offense.
Running back James Peoples had 67 net yards on the ground on 14 attempts and wide receiver Chase Sowell had six catches for 70 yards. Both players led their respective categories in total yards, which wasn't nearly enough with the absence of Howard.
Penn State takes the road for Week 5 with a trip to Northwestern. It's also a short week for the Nittany Lions as they are slated to help open Ryan Field on Friday, Oct. 2.
Women's volleyball splits the weekend in all-around trip around Michigan
Penn State women's volleyball notched its first Big Ten win and sustained its first loss over the weekend to Michigan and Michigan State, respectively.
The Nittany Lions defeated the Wolverines in four sets and the Spartans did the same to Penn State the next day.
Opposite Kennedy Martin finished the match against Michigan State with 19 kills, eight digs, and six block assists for a total of 22 points. Outsides Whitney Lauenstein and Emmi Sellman each had nine kills, tied for second-most for Penn State on Sunday. All three had one kill less against Michigan the day before. Ryla Jones (5), Gabrielle Nichols (5), Alexis Stucky (4), and Sellman (3) were more involved up at the net blocking against Michigan.
Stucky and Ava Jurevicius both had two aces on Sunday while four different players logged at least one on Saturday (Sellman, 2; Lexi Gin, 2; Lauenstein, 1; Stucky, 1). Danielle Whitmire saw the most time at setter in the second contest, tallying 24 assists to Stucky's 10. It's clear Penn State had its depth pieces more involved against Michigan State in comparison to the night before.
The Nittany Lions are now 9-3 on the season and ranked 16th in the AVCA Poll. Up next is undefeated No. 1 Nebraska on Thursday.
More: Penn State hockey announces promotional schedule
The Nittany Lion men's hockey team released its promotional schedule for the 2026 season.
- Friday, Oct. 16 vs. Quinnipiac: Pegula Palooza
- Saturday, Nov. 7 vs. Notre Dame: Teddy Bear Toss
- Friday, Nov. 27 vs. Princeton: Salute to Service
- Saturday, Dec. 12 vs. Army: Senior Celly
- Thursday, Dec. 31 vs. Niagara: Gad's Rockin New Year's Eve
- Friday, Jan. 22 vs. Wisconsin: Wear White
Oct. 16 is also the home-opener for the Nittany Lions. They will come off a trip to Connecticut facing No. 15/14 UConn and Sacred Heart the weekend before.
Add us as a preferred source on Google