Getty Penn State and Wisconsin will clash in the NCAA women's Sweet 16.
The No. 1 seed Wisconsin Badgers will host the No. 4 seed Penn State Nittany Lions at the UW Field House on Thursday, December 8 in a women’s volleyball Sweet 16 showdown.
The game (5:30 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on ESPNU, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on ESPN+, FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Those are the best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch Penn State vs Wisconsin streaming live online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPNU and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV. You’ll need both the main channel package and the “Sports Plus” add-on, both of which can be included with your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Penn State vs Wisconsin live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPNU is included in “Choice” and above, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Penn State vs Wisconsin live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
ESPN+
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, this is the cheapest option, as every remaining game of the NCAA volleyball tournament will also be simulcast on ESPN+:
ESPN+ also includes dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Penn State vs Wisconsin live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Compatible devices for the ESPN app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPNU and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange + Sports Extra” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Penn State vs Wisconsin live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPNU and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Penn State vs Wisconsin live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ESPNU and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which does not come with a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch Penn State vs Wisconsin live on the Vidgo app or Vidgo website.
Compatible devices for the Vidgo app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Vidgo credentials to do that.
Penn State vs Wisconsin Preview
The Badgers took down the Quinnipiac Bobcats (25-15, 25-9, 25-4) before a tallying a 3-0 win over TCU (25-9, 25-11, 25-23), to advance to the regional semifinals. Sophomore Sarah Franklin led the way for the Badgers with 13 kills, while Devyn Robinson and Anna Smrek each had six kills apiece in the win over TCU. Franklin has 372 kills on the season It will be the 10th consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16 for Wisconsin.
“I just think it’s really exciting to be here with this team and gritting it out every single weekend and being able to earn that,” Franklin said, per The Marshfield News Herald. “I’m excited for what’s to come and for how much more we can do for the rest of this postseason.”
The Badgers are undefeated at the Field House this season, winning their last 20 games there. Wisconsin has played Penn State twice this season, sweeping the Nittany Lions on September 30 before winning in five sets in a back-and-forth contest on November 11.
Penn State took down UMBC in three sets in its opener (25-14, 25-17, 25-12), before beating UCF in four sets (19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21). Now, the reigning champs are on deck.
“We’re pumped so I mean, it’s hard to beat a team twice already and we’ve played them twice so they’re gonna struggle with us,” senior outside hitter Zoe Weatherington said about facing the Badgers again, per the Daily Collegian. “I’m excited because we’ve been preparing a lot and we’ve been anticipating this for a while now so it’s going to be quite the match.”
Penn State held Franklin to 20 kills over those two games, and if it can limit Wisconsin’s big hitter again, this one could get interesting. One player for the Badgers to keep an eye on is Nittany Lions outside hitter Kashauna Williams, who had 18 kills the last time she faced the Badgers.
“She’s one of the best in the entire conference,” Big Ten Network analyst Emily Ehman said about Williams. “She has one of the quickest arm swings you’ll see and you can’t shut her down, but you can try to slow her down.”