Penn State women's volleyball looks to get back on track in The Mitten State

As they get further into the 2023 season, the Nittany Lions are facing tougher challenges on the court.

On Sunday, Penn State hosted its annual Dig Pink match at Rec Hall in support of breast cancer awareness. Despite a career-high 27 kills from outside hitter Jess Mruzik, and a strong performance from Mac Podraza and Gillian Grimes, the Nittany Lions' 11-match home winning streak came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Purdue.

With this loss added to their record, Penn State now sits at 14-5 overall and 8-2 in the Big Ten. They’ve also dropped from No. 11 to No. 13 in the most recent AVCA rankings while the Boilermakers have moved up from No. 19 to No. 16.

This weekend, the blue and white will hit the road to take a tour of the Wolverine State.

Beginning in Ann Arbor, Penn State will face off against the University of Michigan on Friday.

There’s no doubt that the Wolverines have struggled so far this season. The team currently sits at an overall record of 3-16 and is 1-9 in the Big Ten.

While they have been swept in the majority of their matches this season, they managed to take their most recent match against Northwestern to five sets. They were still defeated by the Wildcats, but many players had impressive performances including Valentina Vaulet and Kendall Murray who each tallied 21 kills, and Morgan Burke who set a new career high with 49 assists.

Penn State is 54-6 in the all-time series with Michigan and 24-4 in road matches against the Wolverines including their 3-1 victory the last time these teams met back in 2021.

This match is set to take place in the Crisler Center Friday night at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will continue on to East Lansing where they will face Michigan State.

The Spartans have had a more successful season than their neighbors to the southeast. Their overall record sits at 13-8 and they are 5-5 in the Big Ten.

In their most recent match, they fell to Minnesota in a gritty four-set battle. Freshman middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig made her first career start, totaling nine kills on .350 hitting along with a team-high five blocks.

Penn State is 53-7 in the all-time series with Michigan State and has won 16 consecutive matches against the Spartans.

This weekend’s match is set to take place at the Breslin Center Saturday Night at 7 p.m.

Time will tell if the Nittany Lions will be able to get back on their dominant streak.

Anna Licastro is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email arl5942@psu.edu.