University Park, Pa., May 27, 2005 ¨C Matches against 11 teams that competed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, including six that finished ranked in the top eight in the country, highlight the 2005 Penn State women¡¯s volleyball schedule.

From the final poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), No. 7 Penn State will play National Champion Stanford, Minnesota (No. 2), Southern California (No. 4), Nebraska (No. 5), Ohio State (No. 6) and Hawaii (No. 8) along with No. 14 Wisconsin and Purdue, who received votes in the poll. The Nittany Lions will also square off against NCAA Tournament participants Illinois, Michigan and Pacific.

¡°When you take into account that the Big Ten was recognized as the strongest conference in the country last year and for us to schedule three weekends of great competition at the start, we¡¯re going to know a lot about the top teams and about our freshmen,¡± said head coach Russ Rose, who will be entering his 27th season at the helm of the Penn State program. ¡°Those things will hopefully allow us to have the kind of season that we¡¯d like to have. With an NCAA Regional here at Rec Hall, we¡¯re hoping to get ourselves into a position to be playing in that Regional.¡±

Penn State holds a 293-73 (.801) record over opponents it will face during the 2005 regular season, including a 239-41 (.854) Big Ten record since joining the conference for the 1991 season. The slate also features first-time meetings with Pepperdine and Marshall in the sport of women¡¯s volleyball.

The Nittany Lions open up the season at the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. The tournament features powerhouses Stanford, Nebraska and Hawaii, with Penn State facing the defending national champion Cardinal on Friday, Aug. 26 and either the Cornhuskers or Wahine on Saturday, Aug. 27.

Penn State remains on the road for the next two weekends, participating in the Hawaiian Airlines Classic on Sept. 1-3 in Honolulu with matches against Western Michigan, Hawaii and Southern California, and then returns to Nebraska to the Players Challenge on Sept. 9-11 to take on Pepperdine, Nebraska and Pacific in Lincoln, Neb.

The Penn State Classic on Sept. 16-17 will feature Penn, Marshall and Seton Hall before the Nittany Lions open up Big Ten play at home versus Illinois and Purdue on Sept. 23-24. Penn State will host one of four NCAA Tournament Regional Championships on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10 at Rec Hall and the 2005 NCAA National Championship will take place in San Antonio on Thursday and Saturday, Dec. 15 and 17.

Penn State returns five starters from last season¡¯s 29-3 Big Ten Champion squad that advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal match, including first team AVCA All-American senior setter Sam Tortorello (Shorewood, Ill.), first team All-Big Ten senior libero Kaleena Walters (Mt. Lebanon, Pa.) and 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year outside hitter Kate Price (Fraser, Mich.).

For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.