Match Primer: #14 Penn State at #15 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament
The Kansas Jayhawks Volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season with their sweep of Omaha last night. Tonight, they try to advance to the second weekend for the second time in three seasons as they take on the ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, who defeated Yale in four sets last night.
Penn State comes into the matchup on a seven match winning streak, with their last loss coming on the road at Purdue. They are 4-8 on the season against ranked opponents, including a 1-4 record on the road.
The Jayhawks have only met the Nittany Lions once, when they faced off in the Villanova Classic during the 2014 season. Penn State won that matchup in three straight sets.
Here are the essentials:
How to Watch
Friday, December 30th, 5:30 p.m. CST
Lawrence, KS: Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena (2,265)
TV: ESPN+
Leif Lisec (Play-by-play), Jill Dorsey-Hall (Analyst)
Online Radio: Kansas Athletics
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
The Numbers
#15 Kansas: 24-5
| Kansas | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
Hitting % | .275 | .199 |
Kills | 1477 | 1348 |
Assists | 1374 | 1264 |
Aces | 122 | 93 |
Digs | 1654 | 1524 |
Blocks | 256.5 | 196.5 |
#14 Penn State: 22-8
| PSU | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
Hitting % | .256 | .175 |
Kills | 1492 | 1296 |
Assists | 1372 | 1220 |
Aces | 133 | 92 |
Digs | 1506 | 1432 |
Blocks | 322.5 | 222 |
Opponent Preview
The Nittany Lions finished third in the Big Ten conference this season behind the efforts of three all-conference players:
- Outside Hitter Jess Mruzik was a unanimous selection to the first team, ranking third in the Big Ten in kills/set. She has 464 kills on the season and is a huge threat from the outside.
- Setter Mac Podraza earned first-team honors with 10.42 assists/set. She also was a defensive boost, adding 2.11 digs/set.
- Hitter Camryn Hannah earned second team honors while both as an outside hitter and on the right side. She averaged 2.97 kills/set, hitting double-digit kills in 17 matches.
Match Coverage
Follow along during the game with live updates from both the Blue Wings Rising and Kansas Volleyball Twitter accounts.
Come join the conversation in the Blue Wings Rising Discord Server.
Fun Facts
The Jayhawks are on a 15-match winning streak at home, with the last loss coming in the first home match of the season against Purdue.
Kansas is 5-3 against ranked opponents this season, including a 4-1 record at home.