Stanford women's volleyball will travel to one of America's most storied arenas on Friday, Sept. 11, when the Cardinal face Penn State at Philadelphia's Palestra as part of the venue's 100th anniversary celebration.

The matchup pits the two most decorated programs in NCAA women's volleyball history. Stanford leads all programs with nine national championships. Penn State, the reigning 2024 national champion, is second with eight. The Cardinal hold a 14-13 edge in the all-time series, according to Stanford Athletics, but the teams haven't met since 2022.

"We are thrilled to be resuming our rivalry with Penn State and are honored to share the court with the Nittany Lions in celebration of 100 years of the Palestra," head coach Kevin Hambly said in a Stanford Athletics press release on Wednesday, July 15.

Hambly, the Montag Family Director of Women's Volleyball, led Stanford to a 29-5 record and co-ACC championship in 2025, earning ACC Coach of the Year honors. The Cardinal fell in the NCAA Regional Semifinal.

The Sept. 11 match will be Stanford's first visit to the Palestra, according to the university's announcement. The arena is an 8,725-seat building on the University of Pennsylvania campus that opened Jan. 1, 1927. Known primarily as "The Cathedral of College Basketball," it features bleachers that end at the floor with no barrier separating fans from the court.

Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley knows the building well. She coached the Penn volleyball team during the 2017 season, making the Palestra her home court. For her current squad, though, the Sept. 11 trip marks only the program's second visit.

The match is part of Stanford's east coast road trip that week, according to the university. It's one of several marquee events Penn Athletics has scheduled for the Palestra's centennial season, which also includes a Pitt-Penn State men's basketball game on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Game time, television information and ticket details had not been announced as of the July 15 press release.