Villanova women's volleyball takes on No. 9 Penn State at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in a nationally televised matchup on FS1 at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.

The Wildcats (5-3) have never beaten the Nittany Lions. Penn State holds a 15-0 all-time series lead, with the last meeting coming in September 2015, a straight-sets win for PSU. More than a decade later, Villanova gets another shot against a program that won the 2024 national championship and ranks second all-time with eight NCAA titles.

Penn State (6-1) enters the Sept. 15 match off a sweep of Ohio. The Nittany Lions were picked third in the Big Ten preseason poll after a 19-13 season and NCAA tournament berth in 2025. Senior right-side hitter Kennedy Martin, a 6-foot-6 Big Ten preseason all-conference pick, and senior setter Alexis Stucky anchor head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley's lineup.

This is Villanova's second matchup against a top-10 opponent this season. Arizona State, then ranked, beat the Wildcats in straight sets at the Colgate Volleyball Classic earlier in September.

But Villanova has momentum. The Wildcats swept American University and Iowa State at the American Tournament in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Sept. 11, picking up their first sweep of 2026. Taylor Lewis led the way against American with 13 kills.

"… winning those gritty, back-and-forth matches says a lot about this group," head coach Josh Steinbach said on Thursday, Sept. 10, ahead of the American Tournament, reflecting on the team's early-season form.

Steinbach is in his 20th year leading the program. Senior outside hitter Abby Harrell earned Preseason Big East Player of the Year honors, a first in program history. Junior middle blocker Campbell McKinnon was a unanimous preseason All-Big East selection and ranks 66th nationally with 38 total blocks.

Junior setter Alyssa Nelson, from Wildwood, Mo., has been the engine of Villanova's offense. As of Thursday, Sept. 10, Nelson had 159 assists on the season at 6.12 per set and was closing in on 1,500 career assists. She earned Colgate Classic All-Tournament Team honors after posting a 29-assist, 11-dig double-double against Princeton and 39 assists with 15 digs against Colgate. Nelson also ranks second on the team with 52 digs and eight service aces.

The Sept. 15 match is Villanova's final non-conference road game of 2026, with Big East conference play next on the schedule.