Katherine Wright | NCAA.com | September 12, 2019

No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 1 Stanford women’s volleyball: Preview, how to watch

BYU and Indiana top this week's volleyball top plays

No. 4 Penn State (5-0) and No. 1 Stanford (4-0) are the only programs to have appeared in every NCAA tournament since the NCAA championship began in 1981. Friday's Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge is a potential preview to this year's title run. The Sept. 13 match is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at Penn State.

The defending champion Cardinal are on a 36-match win streak and have not lost more that two sets this season, but the Nittany Lions are perfect through five matches, not dropping one set. Check out our preview and how to watch section below for this week's exciting top-4 matchup.

Penn State-Stanford volleyball: Preview

POLL: The latest AVCA Coaches rankings

Penn State has endured a breezy schedule to start the season, posting sweep after sweep. But now the Nittany Lions will face their first ranked opponent in Stanford, the defending national champion. Going zero to 100 might be very difficult for the Penn State squad, but there is hope. Last week, the Cardinal's first huge test in another possible national title season came against No. 3 Texas. The Longhorns pushed the match to five sets, even taking the first.

This year's Stanford team is a hard one to beat. The drive to win every single point is a testament to the 12-2 set win ratio. The video below against Texas exhibits it perfectly.

Great players make great plays ✨#NCAAVB | @StanfordWVB pic.twitter.com/oDQbxqy1mQ
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) September 10, 2019

Kathryn Plummer is in the driver's seat for the Cardinal. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the seventh time in her career after averaging 6.88 kills and 7.00 points per set on .462 hitting against Florida and Texas. Thirty-four kills against the Longhorns was a career best and most by a Stanford player since 2010.

Longest win streaks in NCAA DI women's volleyball history:

1st at 109: Penn State from Sept. 21, 2007 to Sept. 10, 2010
2nd at 52: Southern California from Nov. 2, 2002 to Sept. 10, 2004
3rd at 44: Penn State from August 31 to Dec. 7, 1990
4th at 43: UCLA from Nov. 16, 1991 to Dec. 17, 1992
5th at 42: Long Beach State from Aug. 28, 1998 to Sept. 10, 1999
6th at 37: Florida from August 24 to Dec. 13, 1996
7th (tied) at 36: Florida (August 23 to Dec. 18, 2003), Nebraska (Sept. 1, 2000 to Aug. 25, 2001), Penn State (August 28 to Dec. 18, 1999) and Stanford (Sept. 1, 2018 to present)

	TALE OF THE TAPE
No. 1	AVCA ranking	No. 4
4-0	Record	5-0
Kevin Hambly 68-5	Coach (Record at school)	Russ Rose 1,277-205
National champions	2018 NCAA tournament	Regional final
38	NCAA tournament appearances	38
8	NCAA championships	7
Kathryn Plummer, 83	Kills leader	Serena Gray/Kaitlyn Hord, 49
Jenna Gray, 163	Assists leader	Gabby Blossom, 170
Madeleine Gates, 16	Blocks leader	Kaitlyn Hord, 19
Morgan Hentz, 61	Digs leader	Kendall White, 54
0.356	Team hitting	0.432
0.189	Opponent hitting	0.086
def. No. 3 Texas, 3-2 (17-25, 25-18, 25-11, 21-25, 15-12)	Previous match	def. LSU, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-16)
vs. No. 8 Minnesota 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14	Next match (times ET)	vs. No. 10 Oregon 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14

SCOREBOARD: Live updates, scores for every game

The Nittany Lions have their own notable star in Kaityln Hord, who earned the Big Ten Player of the Week honor and Cyclone Invitational MVP after besting Iowa State and LSU last weekend.

Big Ten Player of the Week ☑️
Cyclone Invitational MVP ☑️
Help team start 5-0 ☑️#WeAre #PSUVB 🦁🏐

Read: https://t.co/pHKYwSiLTt pic.twitter.com/kLqXgxuDKH
— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 9, 2019

Hord and Serena Gray have combined for three matches with a .700-plus hitting percentage on at least 10 kills.

Penn State-Stanford volleyball: How to watch, time, TV channel

The 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) match between Penn State and Stanford on Friday, Sept. 13 will be televised on Big Ten Network and will be available to watch on Big Ten Network+. You can also listen to it on Lionvision.

UNDEFEATED TEAMS: Looking at the top contenders to go unbeaten this season

Penn State-Stanford volleyball: Series history

The Nittany Lions leads the Cardinal 12-11 in all-time matchups.

Stanford beat Penn State twice last season, the final loss occurring in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, 3-1. The Nittany Lions were last victorious over the Cardinal twice in 2017, during Penn State's 10-0 streak to start the season.

Here's a look at the complete series history:

Date	Location	Score
Dec. 8, 2018	Stanford, CA	Stanford 3-1
Sept. 7, 2018	Stanford, CA	Stanford 3-0
Sept. 9, 2017	Champaign, IL	Penn State 3-2
Sept. 1, 2017	College Station, TX	Penn State 3-1
Sept. 4, 2016	Boulder, CO	Stanford, 3-0
Sept. 5, 2015	State College, PA	Penn State 3-0
Dec. 18, 2014	Oklahoma City, OK	Penn State 3-1
Sept. 5, 2014	Stanford, CA	Stanford 3-2
Dec. 14, 2013	Lexington, KY	Penn State 3-2
Sept. 31, 2012	University Park, PA	Penn State 3-2
Sept. 9, 2011	Stanford, CA	Stanford 3-1
Sept. 11, 2010	Gainesville, FL	Stanford 3-0
Dec. 20, 2008	Ohama, NE	Penn State 3-0
Dec. 15, 2007	Sacramento, CA	Penn State 3-2
Sept. 15, 2007	New Haven, CN	Stanford 3-2
Aug. 26, 2005	Omaha, NE	Stanford 3-2
Sept. 10, 2004	Stanford, CA	Penn State 3-2
Sept. 4, 2001	University Park, PA	Stanford 3-1
Dec. 18, 1999	Honolulu, HA	Penn State, 3-0
Dec. 20, 1997	Spokane, WA	Stanford 3-2
Sept. 6, 1997	Storrs, CN	Penn State 3-1
Aug. 23, 1997	Stanford, CA	Penn State 3-0
Dec. 10, 1992	Champaign, IL	Stanford 3-0