Penn State volleyball comes in at No. 2 in Big Ten preseason poll

Penn State volleyball enters the 2025 season as reigning national champions, but the Nittany Lions will return to the court looking up at the top spot in the Big Ten.

Last week, the Big Ten released its annual preseason honors for the upcoming year. The Nittany Lions finished second in the preseason poll, with Nebraska taking first. The Blue and White shared the conference crown with the Cornhuskers last fall, but did win both head-to-head matchups between the two programs, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory in December’s Final Four.

Penn State will see Nebraska twice this season, first in Rec Hall on October 3, followed by a return trip to Lincoln on November 28.

Penn State leaning into the pressure of 2025 season

Off a 35-2 season, the Nittany Lions retooled their roster with three transfer portal additions this offseason, including AVCA first-team All-American Kennedy Martin from Florida and Big Ten All-Freshman Emmi Sellman from Ohio State. The defending champions have three preseason all-conference honorees: Martin and Izzy Starck, who were unanimous selections, and Gillian Grimes.

With Penn State volleyball returning to its pedestal after a decade off the national stage, the Nittany Lions say they are using the added pressure to make the program even better this fall.

“Any team that wins the national championship the year before has these expectations set for them to perform,” Starck said at Big Ten Media Days this week. “But, I think that handling pressure is a big thing for us, and we’ve been talking about it so much as a team. We want to embrace the pressure and embrace it for next year and use it almost as a benefit to us of how we can learn those tools of winning to get us there the next season.”

Penn State volleyball returns to action on August 23 with a matchup against Creighton at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln. The Nittany Lions will make their first appearance in Rec Hall on September 5, where they will hang the program’s eighth championship banner before taking on Kentucky.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned and operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube — and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for the latest breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on social media.