As the fall season continues for Penn State athletics in Happy Valley, winter sports have started. It's a busy time for the Nittany Lions as football figures out where it's issues lie after a third straight loss, women's volleyball continues working through its Big Ten schedule, men's hockey faces early-season disappointment, field hockey makes a pitch for the playoffs, and men's basketball prepares for what looks like another disappointing season.
Here's some news you may have missed over the weekend.
Penn State football's Week 6 loss puts Matt Campbell's game management on the spot
Penn State's Week 6 loss vs. USC in the White Out wasn't the worst loss it sustained so far this season. The Nittany Lions' offense, in particular, has been incredibly slow to start Big Ten play and Saturday saw some big improvements on that side of the ball. Quarterback Rocco Becht looked better adjusted to the level of competition, and he and his weapons figured out how to overcome the absence of receiver Koby Howard. Issues persisted for Penn State's defense, but head coach Matt Campbell's lack of preparation for the big lights in the White Out were more concerning.
The Nittany Lions' timeout usage brought up some red flags for Campbell's game management. The first happened due to a late substitution on offense that gave USC an opportunity to substitute as well, forcing Penn State to take a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. The next two were used unnecessarily in the first half, and the first of the second half was used for a late substitution scenario as well. Campbell then burned his next two, leaving him without a single timeout under the two-minute warning.
It's not just on the players to take on the challenge of the Big Ten, it's also the coaches. Game management is huge. There were some good moments for Campbell in that regard, but avoiding silly usage of timeouts could've gave the Nittany Lions a chance at the end of the game.
Penn State women's volleyball takes the win in ranked match
Katie Schumacher-Cawley's Nittany Lions came out of Sunday afternoon's contest with a win at home over Washington. The No. 18 Penn State squad swept the No. 20 Washington Huskies. The blue and white are now 12-4 on the season after winning their third straight, and 4-2 in the Big Ten.
Opposite hitter Kennedy Martin led the match with 14 kills on 33 attempts (three errors) for a 33.3 hitting percentage. She also had one service ace, four 2.5 blocks (one solo, three assists), and tacked on 13 digs on defense, which was second-most for Penn State. Her 17.5 points led the team as well.
Middle blocker Gabrielle Nichols was the only other Nittany Lions with double-digit kills in the match (11). She had two errors on 16 attempts, finishing with a 56.3 hitting percentage. She logged three block assists and two digs. She and outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein were tied for second-most points on the team with 12.5.
Libero Ava Falduto had 15 digs and one serve-receive error. Setter Alexis Stucky had 33 assists, one ace, two block assists, eight digs, and four total points.
Up next is UCLA on the road with first serve slated for 10 p.m. EDT.
Penn State men's hockey starts 0-2 on the 2026-27 season
Men's hockey started its season off with a ranked contest on the road vs. No. 16/14 UConn.
On Friday night, the Nittany Lions only netted one goal vs. the Huskies. Freshman forward Kale Dach, who was drafted in the seventh-round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, had the solo score for Penn State in the second period. Justin Poirier and Shea Van Olm were credited with assists on Friday night as well. This tied the game at 1-1, but UConn prevailed and ultimately netted two more on the blue and white to secure a 3-1 win at home.
On Saturday night, the Nittany Lions stayed in Connecticut and faced Sacred Heart. Penn State went down early by three goals in the second period after a scoreless first. Coming out for the third period, the Nittany Lions responded immediately with three straight goals in just over one minute. Dach netted the first one (assists by Poirier and Justin Larose) followed by a LaRose goal (Dach and Poirier assists), and a final Penn State goal from defenseman Mac Gadowsky (assists by Jackson Smith and Luke Misa). With the score tied 3-3, the Nittany Lions seemed to have life, but ultimately allowed Sacred Heart to double its score and win the game 6-3.
Up next is Quinnipiac at home at Pegula Ice Arena. Puck drop on Friday, Oct. 16 is slated for 7 p.m. EDT.
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