'Cats Head East for Road Swing at No. 18 Penn State and Maryland'Cats Head East for Road Swing at No. 18 Penn State and Maryland
Northwestern Athletics

'Cats Head East for Road Swing at No. 18 Penn State and Maryland

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Northwestern volleyball (7-8, 0-4 B1G) continues its Big Ten schedule with back-to-back matchups this weekend, first visiting No. 18 Penn State (10-4, 2-2) on Friday before travelling to College Park, Md. to take on Maryland (11-4, 1-3) on Saturday. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday and 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, and both matches will be streamed on B1G+. 

Despite a pair of conference losses last weekend, junior Mara Štiglic continued to shine on offense, leading the ‘Cats with 25 kills in two matches and rising to fifth in kills per set among Big Ten players (3.83). Štiglic leads Northwestern with 203 kills so far this year, and her 223 total points rank seventh in the conference. 

Sophomore Lauren Dignan recorded her 12th and 13th straight matches with double-digit digs over the weekend, and has now racked up 217 digs on the season which ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Dignan has led Northwestern in digs in 12 of 15 matches, and has double-digit digs in 14 of 15 matches on the season.

Mara Štiglic is fifth in the conference in kills per set

Mara Štiglic is fifth in the conference in kills per set

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Lauren Dignan is fourth in the Big Ten in digs per set.

Lauren Dignan is fourth in the Big Ten in digs per set.

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Ellie Stiernagle ranks fourth in the conference in total assists.

Ellie Stiernagle ranks fourth in the conference in total assists.

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Friday’s matchup will be the 70th between Penn State and Northwestern, with the Nittany Lions holding the all-time advantage at 61-9. Penn State enters the weekend ranked 18th in the AVCA/Taraflex poll, and is coming off of a two-game split at home last weekend, falling 3-0 to No. 1 Nebraska before defeating Iowa 3-1. Kennedy Martin leads the way for Penn State on offense, ranking third in the Big Ten in kills per set (4.28) and second in total points (230.5).

Next up for Northwestern will be a Maryland team coming off a defeat against No. 1 Nebraska (3-0) and a victory over Iowa (3-2). The Terrapins will host UCLA on Friday evening before facing the ‘Cats on Saturday. 

Northwestern and Maryland have matched up 19 times in their history, with the ‘Cats holding the all-time edge at 10-9. Northwestern won both of the last two meetings, besting the Terrapins 3-2 in College Park in 2025 and 3-1 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena last fall. The ‘Cats currently hold a four-game winning streak in the series, dating back to 2022. 

Following this week’s matches, Northwestern welcomes a pair of ranked opponents to Welsh-Ryan Arena, first hosting No. 1 Nebraska next Thursday before facing No. 22 Michigan State next Saturday. First serve for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and both will be streamed on B1G+.