The defending champs are now hanging on by their skin of their teeth to their ranked status, folks.

Penn State women’s volleyball fell to No. 25 in the latest AVCA Poll released Monday afternoon. After starting the season as the No. 2 team in the country, the Nittany Lions are now the last-ranked team in the poll with 146 votes, falling six spots in this week’s poll. They stayed ranked by gaining 106 more votes than their closest opponent, Florida.

This drop in the rankings came after Penn State lost back-to-back matches last weekend against Michigan and before-ranked No. 24 Indiana, after it had six of its last seven heading into last weekend. This was its ninth loss of the season and sixth against ranked opponents. Along with Penn State and No. 1 Nebraska, the Big Ten was also represented by No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 17 USC, No. 18 Indiana, and No. 22 Minnesota.

The Nittany Lions will look to bounce back from these back-to-back losses when they take on No. 9 Purdue on the road at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 7. They will also take on Illinois at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, and both matches will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

About the Author

Fernando Martinez

Fernando was a writer for Onward State who majored in broadcast journalism with minors in Spanish and sports studies. During his time on staff, he covered both men’s and women’s volleyball, as well as men’s and women’s soccer. You can follow him on Instagram at fernando9015 or email him at fermtzrdem@gmail.com to see what he is up to today.

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