• Minnesota will host No. 24 Ohio State and No. 2 Penn State this week at the Sports Pavilion. The Golden Gophers will welcome the Buckeyes on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. That match will be telecast on a tape-delayed basis on Fox Sports Net North and Comcast Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. Minnesota will then face No. 2 Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers enter the week having won 13 of their last 14 matches, and are 15-5 overall. Minnesota is also two matches ahead of Wisconsin, and one match behind Penn State in second place in the Big Ten at 9-1. Ohio State enters the week with a 15-5 overall record, and is fifth in the Big Ten at 5-5. The Nittany Lions are 21-0 overall and 10-0 in Big Ten play. Penn State enters the week having won 41 straight Big Ten matches dating back to 2004.

• Minnesota enters the week coming off its best first half in the Big Ten in school history. The Golden Gophers finished 9-1 in the first half, matching their best mark. Minnesota also went 9-1 in the first half of Big Ten play in 2000, 2002 and 2004. In all four of those seasons the Golden Gophers finished with a school record 17 wins in conference play.

• Minnesota is 13-1 in its last 14 matches after starting 2-4. The Golden Gophers only loss in that stretch came on the road to No. 2 Penn State. In the last 14 matches, Minnesota is averaging 16.32 kpg, while holding opponents to 13.06 kpg. The Golden Gophers are also hitting .237, while holding their opposition to .134 during that stretch. Minnesota has also averaged 1.76 sapg to 1.10 for its opponents, and has 3.11 blpg. Individually, Meredith Nelson has 3.50 kpg, is hitting .299 and has 0.93 blpg during that stretch. Kyla Roehrig has 3.44 kpg and 0.62 blpg, Jessy Jones is averaging 2.70 kpg and 1.55 blpg and Malama Peniata has 5.74 dpg. Rachel Hartmann has 12.98 apg, 2.40 dpg and 0.86 blpg, and Kelly Bowman is averaging 2.08 kpg, 1.06 apg, 3.36 dpg and 0.88 dpg.

• The Golden Gophers have gone 17-3 in their past 20 Big Ten matches dating back to last season. That ties their best 20-match stretch in school history. The Golden Gophers also were 17-3 in 2000, 2002 and 2004. This is the first time they have posted that record over the course of two different seasons. Minnesota had the second-best mark in the conference during the second half of the season last year at 8-2. In that span the Golden Gophers defeated No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 17 Ohio State and No. 22 Purdue. This year, Minnesota has started 9-1 in the with wins over No. 24 Michigan, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 9 Purdue and No. 11 Wisconsin. Penn State is the only team with a better record during that stretch at 20-0, and they have handed Minnesota two of its three losses during that stretch.

• Minnesota enters the week with the second-lowest opposing percentage in conference play at .150. That trails only Penn State who is first in opponent hitting percentage at .130. This year, the Golden Gophers have already played five different ranked opponents in Big Ten play. In those matches, Minnesota has held those four teams to a cumulative .146 hitting percentage. In all five matches, the Golden Gophers limited the teams to .100 points below their current hitting percentage. On Oct. 18, Minnesota held No. 11 Wisconsin to a .113 hitting percentage, .153 points below their average. Minnesota also held Purdue to.110 points below their average, No. 2 Penn State to .112 below their average, No. 14 Ohio State to .111 points below their average and No. 24 Michigan to .152 points below their average.