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Penn State Women's Volleyball to Make History at Wrigley Field

The Nittany Lions will participate in the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge in Chicago.
Mark Wogenrich|
A general view of the marquee prior to a game between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
A general view of the marquee prior to a game between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The Penn State women's volleyball team heads to Chicago in September for a unique bit of Big Ten history. As part of the new Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge, the Nittany Lions will help women's volleyball make its Wrigley Field debut.

Penn State will meet Kentucky in a Sept. 6 doubleheader at Chicago's iconic baseball stadium. Nebraska will face Missouri in the other match. The event features three national-championship teams (Penn State won in 2024) that will play volleyball at Wrigley Field for the first time.

“Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week culminating at Wrigley Field brings together the highest level of women’s volleyball competition, at one of the most iconic venues in the country,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. “As women’s volleyball participation, sponsorship, attendance and viewership continue to grow, we look forward to providing this unique opportunity to showcase the exceptional competition.”

According to the Big Ten, the conference's 18 schools will play matches against their 16 SEC counterparts beginning Sept. 1 Several conference venues will host doubleheaders, culminating with the Wrigley Field showcase Sept. 6. The matches are scheduled for 7 and 9 p.m. ET starts. The Big Ten did not announce specific time slots for each match.

Tickets go on sale April 9 via the Chicago Cubs.

“This is a historic moment for the Chicago Cubs, Big Ten and the SEC that has been months in the making,” Chicago Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said in a statement. "We’re thrilled to welcome these incredible schools and student-athletes to the first-ever collegiate volleyball game at Wrigley Field.”

Penn State women's volleyball won't be the first Nittany Lions team to play an outdoor game at Wrigley Field. The Penn State men's hockey team played Notre Dame in 2025 in the "Frozen Confines" series in Chicago. The teams tied 3-3.

The Penn State women's volleyball team made its 45th consecutive NCAA Tournament last season, continuing its streak as the only team to play in every NCAA women's tournament since 1981. The Nittany Lions won their opening match against South Florida before falling to No. 3 Texas in the second round.

Penn State has won eight NCAA women's volleyball titles, second only to Stanford's nine. Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley won an ESPY award in 2025 after becoming the first female coach to win an NCAA women's volleyball title.

Senior Kennedy Martin leads the Nittany Lions as a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors last season in her first year at Penn State. Martin, who previously played at Florida, set Penn State single-season records for the current era in points (728), points per set (6.22), kills (634), and kills per set (5.42).

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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