If there’s one word that best describes No. 19 Penn State’s nonconference schedule, it’s relentless. In the last 72 hours, the Nittany Lions have squared off against three top-12 opponents in the Outrigger Invitational, bringing their season total to 11 ranked matches.
Coach Mark Pavlik’s squad has continued to put up a solid fight in most sets against its highly-ranked foes, but it lacks a ranked match win on its resume. With a loss to No. 12 Ball State in five sets (25-20, 20-25, 25-12, 20-25, 15-10) inside the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu on Saturday, that trend remained the same for the Nittany Lions, who fell to 5-13.