To be frank, the women’s volleyball team has been the most dominant team on campus over the last decade.
With head coach Russ Rose at the helm since its inception in 1976, the storied Penn State women’s volleyball program has claimed seven national championships, including two back-to-back undefeated seasons.
In 1999, Penn State defeated Stanford in the national championship game, after three straight years of falling short in the title match—including a loss 1997 lost to Stanford. And since then, the Cardinals have been one of a very select few of teams that have been a thorn in the Nittany Lions’ you-know-what.
After sweeping Stanford in straight sets to win its first championship, the two foes have matched up regularly since then. They’ve met 12 times since 2001, and have played each other even, both teams going 6-6. However, the Nittany Lions have shown up when it mattered most, similarly to their 1999 win, and they’ve beat the Cardinals in every postseason meeting since, including a dominating sweep in the 2008 title game.
A marquee game between the two teams this season pegged the then-No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation together, but Penn State, yet again, managed another sweep of Stanford. The Cardinals weren’t the only Nittany Lion opponents to fall victim to a sweep, as Penn State went 12 straight games to open the season without conceding a set.
As coach Rose came to know, Big Ten play was sure to bring greater challenges. And it did. In just the second game conference play, then-No. 21 Minnesota pushed Penn State to the brink, forcing five sets but the Nittany Lions were able to walk away with the victory.
They weren’t so fortunate the next time out when then-No. 4 Nebraska came to town and dominated Penn State to win in five sets. The loss however wasn’t a revelation, as the two teams have spilt their season series one apiece since 2011, with the exception of 2013 when Penn State won the sole meeting of the season.
What did come as a stunner was last Saturday when No. 3 Penn State lost in five sets on the road to unranked Northwestern. The Wildcats became the first unranked team to drop Nittany Lions since Oregon State early in the 2012 season.
The Nittany Lions now stand at 15-2, with a considerably rocky start to conference play. But they’ve been here before.
Last season, after losing to Stanford in five sets early in the season and getting crushed 3-1 by Nebraska, Penn State returned the favor that same season. The Nittany Lions swept Nebraska in the regular season finale, then defeated top-ranked Stanford in the national semifinals, en route to back-to-back national championships.
Penn State has shown it’s beatable so far this season, but the Nittany Lions have championship pedigree and elite players that are capable of weathering the storm going down the stretch.
