Penn State’s sweep of Stanford in front of 6,000+ fans at Rec Hall came as a surprise to many. But sweeps aren’t completely foreign to the series — there have been six of them in 18 contests, with Penn State notching them in ’97, ’99, ’08 and ’12 as well as this year. Stanford has two: 1992 (the first meeting between the two schools) and 2010. The Cardinal hadn’t been swept since Oct. 4, 2013 (Southern Cal). Penn State is now 10-8 in its series with Stanford, and is one of only four schools in Stanford’s illustrious history — which includes series with 125 programs — to hold a winning record over the Cardinals:
◾Stanford vs. St. Louis: 0-1 (.000) ◾Stanford vs. Michigan: 2-3 (.400) ◾Stanford vs. Hawaii: 13-19 (.406) ◾Stanford vs. Penn State: 8-10 (.444)
There is only one other program Stanford does not have a winning record against. Guess who? Nebraska, who is 5-5 with the Cardinal.
2. Russ and Jim, Round 4
They’re friends, they’re coaches, they’re champions. When Penn State heads to South Bend for the Golden Dome Invitational this weekend, Russ Rose will renew his rivalry with Jim McLaughlin — the former Washington coach, now in his first year with the Irish.
How long will it take McLaughlin to have success as a head coach at his third women’s program? We’re betting not long.
Here’s a look at the (short) rivalry between these two great coaches:
◾September 11, 1999: Penn State defeats Kansas State 15-5, 15-9, 15-10 ◾December 9, 2006: Washington defeats Penn State 30-27, 30-24, 28-30, 30-26 ◾December 19, 2013: Penn State defeats Washington 25-14, 25-13, 25-16