PITTSBURGH– Penn State is starting its volleyball season with five games against ranked opponents.
Pitt is starting its season with four games against ranked opponents.
This just doesn’t happen in other sports.
Look at football, where Penn State coach James Franklin— and many others, such as Jim Harbaugh when he was at Michigan— have gone out of their way not to schedule tough non conference opponents.
Look at wrestling, where Penn State coach Cael Sanderson historically doesn’t use the non-conference season to challenge his squad.
This isn’t to pick on these coaches. After all, each sport is different and must be treated as such.
But those who love college volleyball have the advantage of being able to see NCAA Tournament-level matches at the beginning of the season.
The State Farm Volleyball Showcase in Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena is a great example.
In Sunday’s doubleheader, No. 3 Pitt took on No. 25 TCU in the opener, then No. 2 Penn State took on No. 13 Arizona State in the nightcap.
The next night, Penn State, now ranked fifth, started by taking on TCU, now ranked No. 24.
Pitt, now ranked ninth, took on Arizona State, ranked seventh.
“Other sports don’t do it, right?” Fisher said after the Arizona State match, “And I haven’t historically done it.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.So why is this line of scheduling more common in volleyball than in most sports?
“I think what it says is— and I hope this doesn’t change— I think there’s still camaraderie amongst the coaches,” he said. “A sense that we’re all willing to do what it takes to grow the sport.
Now, this strategy does have its drawbacks.
Penn State probably wouldn’t have matched last year’s season loss total in a 24-hour window had it not challenged itself.
But the good news for coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley and Penn State volleyball is that a win over No. 4 Kentucky Friday night at Rec Hall would solve a lot more than a win over an unranked opponent would.
“The preseason is to challenge the group,” Schumacher-Cawley said, “and I think it’s definitely challenging us in more ways than one. But it’ll be great to go back to practice tomorrow and prepare for Kentucky.”
For Schumacher-Cawley, a key is to “put the team in uncomfortable positions to get better.
“I think it’s great to be tested early, and it’s something that we need to go back and focus on film and use every single one of these matches to better our play,” she said.
“It’s a tough schedule. It’s super competitive. There are a lot of good volleyball teams in the country. It’s hard to win, but I want to see us bounce back, be a better team, and collectively have a bigger fight.”
For Fisher, these types of early-season games not only benefit his team but could help the sport explode.
“We’re kind of on the brink of— I mean, I would say we’re already mainstream, but of really breaking through. But I think there’s just, we want to keep doing things that help the sport grow.”
