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 Share 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 | @StanfordWVBpic.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 2021 college volleyball rankings: The top 16, re-ranked Here are the right-now rankings of the best 16 teams in women's DI college volleyball after the first two rounds of the 2021 tournament. READ MORE High-impact freshmen to watch in the 2020-21 NCAA volleyball tournament Here are 10 of the top freshmen to watch in the 2020-21 DI women's college volleyball championship. READ MORE The 2020-21 DI women's college volleyball bracket, predicted NCAA.com's Michella Chester fills out her 2020-21 NCAA DI women's volleyball bracket and projects a national champion for the tournament. READ MORE