UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Villanova volleyball's final non-conference road matchup of the season awaits as the Wildcats head up the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Tuesday to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Villanova (5-3) travels to State College for a nationally televised matchup set for 7 p.m. EDT inside PSU's Rec Hall with the No. 9 Nittany Lions.
'CATS IN THE STATS
Villanova's early-season success stems from a well-balanced roster producing across the box score. The Wildcats' offense has been firing on all cylinders in the early stages of the 2026 campaign. Thanks to contributions from six different attackers, Villanova currently ranks 65th in the country with 13.25 kills per set. VU's offense also ranks 42nd in assists per set (12.50) and 80th in team assists (400), with
Alyssa Nelson and
Ava Harris leading the way as the team's primary setters. Individually,
Campbell McKinnon ranks 17th nationally in hitting percentage (.450) and 66th in total blocks (38), while
Cat Young ranks 66th in the country in service aces (15) and 95th in aces per set (0.47).
GETTING DOWN TO THE NITTANY GRITTY
- Penn State comes into the matchup with the 'Cats at a 6-1 mark on the season. Fresh off a clean sweep over the Ohio Bobcats, the nationally ranked Nittany Lions will be the second top-10 opponent Villanova has faced in 2026.
- After finishing the 2025 season with a 19-13 record, culminating in an NCAA Volleyball Championship berth, PSU was picked to finish third in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll. The Nittany Lions are led by their two senior B1G Preseason All-Conference Team selections, Kennedy Martin (RS) and Alexis Stucky (S).
- Penn State holds a 15-0 record all-time against Villanova. The most recent contest between the two Keystone State foes came in September 2015, with PSU taking the win in straight sets.
The match will feature stats courtesy of
StatBroadcast, and it will air live on
FS1.
Keep up with the Villanova University volleyball program through social media by following on X (@NovaVolleyball) and Instagram (@novavolleyball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/NovaVolleyball).
