The start of the season for Penn State women’s volleyball has been a shaky one.

With a 4-3 record and the loss of star setter Izzy Starck, the Nittany Lions have faced early adversity and been forced to make adjustments both on and off the court. However, before Big Ten play rolls around next week, head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley doesn’t want the non-conference portion of the season to come easy, and she never did.

“It’s hard to win, but I think playing these matches will prepare us for conference [play]. Our league schedule is really tough, and this will put us on the right path to prepare,” Schumacher-Cawley said.

By design, each of Penn State’s first five matches were against a ranked team. With that, all three of its losses have come against teams in the top 10 of the latest AVCA poll, where Penn State sits at No. 13.

Now, another test is on the horizon at 7 p.m. Wednesday. No. 5 Pitt, which has lost just three sets over the past seven matches and beat No. 6 Kentucky 3-0 a week ago, will play at Rec Hall for the first time since 2019.

Penn State faced the Panthers early last season in front of a sold-out crowd in Pittsburgh, and Pitt dominated its way to a 3-0 win. Helping the sweep was a 13-kill performance from Olivia Babcock, who went on to become the 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year.

Babcock, a 6’4″ right-side hitter, is back at Pitt for her junior season and already has five matches with 15 or more kills this season.

“Her play is just very impressive,” Penn State defensive specialist Jocelyn Nathan said. “She has a very unique way of approaching the ball, and I think it catches a lot of blockers lacking.”

Schumacher-Cawley echoed Nathan’s thoughts, calling Babcock a “high-level player,” but said the Panthers have a well-rounded team that “competes hard” with pieces surrounding their star player.

Despite the test of their first top-five opponent of the season, the Nittany Lions are looking forward to the opportunity to beat Pitt for the first time in six years and once again prove they should be talked about as one of the nation’s top teams.

“We are so happy to be back in Rec Hall. I think the team is feeling good about being back and getting in the routine here, handling their classwork, and being able to get the extra work in that they need to do to prepare for these teams,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I’m proud of what they’re doing and who they are, but I know they’re focused on getting back to winning and playing well.”

Nathan said she and many of her teammates have been excited for this match for a while, but having not played since their 3-0 win over Bucknell eight days ago, the anticipation has them even more pumped.

“I think after the emotional turmoil all of us have been on, I think it was really nice to have a bit of a break and be able to reconnect as a team and one unit,” she said. “I think a lot of us are really excited for this Pitt game. In-state battle and on our court this time. I think it’s just been nice to recharge and be
ready for this.”