The Penn State women’s volleyball team continues to struggle on the road. They lost both of their road games this past weekend to fall to 13-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten.

On Friday, the Nittany Lions played a close match against Purdue. Despite winning the first two sets and getting a career-high 20 kills from freshman Deja McClendon, Penn State fell, 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 16-25, 18-25, 11-15). This was Penn State’s first loss to Purdue since 1987.

Penn State lost their second match on Saturday to Indiana. Indiana came out strong, winning the first two sets. The Nittany Lions easily won set three, but Indiana came out on top in a close fourth set to win the match, 3-1 (19-25, 25-27, 25-18, 24-26). This was a disappointing performance from Penn State, and it put them right in the middle of the Big Ten standings.

These two performances should worry Penn State fans. After an impressive start to the season, the Nittany Lions have lost three of their past four road games. If these results continue, Penn State could still make the post-season, but they would probably face road games in the first and second rounds.

The Nittany Lions return home next weekend, where they have yet to lose a game this season. They will look to win both matches and re-gain some momentum as they get closer to the halfway point of the Big Ten schedule.

Upcoming schedule:

Friday: vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Saturday: vs. Iowa, 7 p.m.