July 26, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With four returning players having earned AVCA All-America status in the past two years, along with the experience gained from playing in a competitive NCAA Tournament environment, the future looks strong for the 2007 Penn State women's volleyball team. Add in talented newcomers who have the ability to make an immediate impact, and the squad is poised to make a run for an unprecedented fifth consecutive Big Ten Championship and a trip to Sacramento come December.
The Nittany Lions return 11 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's 32-3 NCAA Regional Final squad that became the first team in league history to capture four consecutive outright Big Ten titles. Penn State must contend with the loss of three players to graduation, including 6-5 opposite Cassy Salyer and defensive specialists Kris Brown and Ashley Fidler, but the Nittany Lions hope to ease the transition with a recruiting class that boasts two of the top players in the nation at their respective positions.
"We return a number of players from last year's team and there will be competition at key positions that should help push the players to perform," said head coach Russ Rose, who will be entering his 29th season at the helm of the Penn State program, just nine wins shy of reaching 900 for his career. "We'll still have a relatively young lineup and some of the incoming players could contribute immediately depending on how they adapt to the speed and intensity of the collegiate game. I'm confidant the returning players have learned lessons from the last few seasons and hopefully have taken another step in their dedication and will to succeed."
Outside Hitter
Penn State returns one of the top outside hitter tandems in the nation with junior Nicole Fawcett and sophomore Megan Hodge, both AVCA First Team All-Americans a year ago. Contending on the right side could be a variety of players depending on the offensive system used by the squad, but senior Kate Price, sophomore Alisha Glass and redshirt freshman Blair Brown will all have the chance to make an impact.
"Nicole and Megan combine to form one of the top outside hitter duos in the country," stated Rose. "They are both powerful players and I'm optimistic that they have learned what they need to do to improve from their respective NCAA Tournament experiences. Kate has the ability to play either on the left or the right side, Blair puts up a great block on the right side and Alisha is capable of performing in a 6-2 offense and can be a potent offensive threat."
Fawcett played in all 35 matches last season and averaged 4.27 kills per game, good for second on the team and eighth in the Big Ten. She finished the year ranked fourth on the team and sixth in the conference in hitting percentage (.331), the only pure left-side hitter in the league within the top six. She enters the 2007 season just 21 kills shy of reaching 1,000 for her career, posting double-digit kill figures in 30 matches and recording 15 or more kills in a match on 12 occasions. Named to the NCAA Seattle Regional All-Tournament Team, Fawcett recorded a career-high four service aces twice, including the NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue on Dec. 8. She also posted at least one dig in every match of the year and tallied at least two blocks in 12 matches, recording a career-high six twice, including at Texas on Sept. 8 and against Wisconsin on Oct. 7.
Named Penn State's second consecutive AVCA National Freshman of the Year, last season Megan Hodge also made Big Ten history as the first freshman to be named Big Ten Player of the Year. She led the conference and the team in points per game (5.57) and kills per game (4.83) while ranking second on the squad with 39 service aces and 303 digs, an average of 2.66 digs per game. Hodge racked up 515 kills last season, making her only the seventh player in Nittany Lions history to record more than 500 kills in a season, and the second to do so in the rally-scoring era. The 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year posted double-digit kills in 31 matches, recording 15 or more kills in 20 contests. Hodge set a career high with 27 kills in the five-game thriller at Texas on Sept. 8 and tied the school record for kills in a three-game match with 25 at Northwestern on Oct. 13. A versatile player, Hodge also tallied at least one block in 32 matches and at least one ace in 21 contests.
Another versatile player is senior Kate Price, who last year began the season as the squad's libero. Price has seen action on both the left and right side, averaging 2.38 kills per game for her career. She played in 100 games and all 35 matches a year ago, recording 42 kills, 12 service aces, 214 digs and 21 total blocks. She tallied 26 digs at LSU on Aug. 26, the first time a Penn State player had recorded 25 or more digs in a match since Kaleena Walters accomplished the feat versus Wisconsin on Oct. 28, 2005. Price started the first eight Big Ten matches on the right side a year ago, recording a season-high six kills twice, including hitting a career-high .667 (6-0-9) against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 16.
While Alisha Glass was the squad's starting setter for a majority of the year last year, she also has the ability to hit in the front row if the team is playing a 6-2 offense, something it toyed with last year. Glass came to Penn State out of high school as the national scholastic kills record holder and last season provided 131 kills on .263 hitting. She pounded a career-high nine kills while in the 6-2 against Nicholls State in the opening match of the season on Aug. 25, adding eight kills in the 5-1 at Texas on Sept. 8. She also hit for a career-high .714 percentage (5-0-7) against Lehigh on Sept. 16.
Blair Brown comes into her redshirt freshman season as one of the the squad's best right-side blockers from a year ago, according to Rose. While only able to compete in practice last year, Brown came to Penn State as a two-time Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year and a member of the 2004 USA Youth National Team who won the NORCECA Championship in Puerto Rico. She was the Virginia state record holder with 1,463 career kills and 307 solo blocks and was also the 2004 AA Virginia State High Jump Champion.
Middle Hitter
Penn State returns a solid core to the middle hitter position, but the addition of freshman Arielle Wilson will force some competition for the starting spot. The returning starters from last year, 2006 AVCA Second Team All-American junior Christa Harmotto and 2005 AVCA Second Team All-American senior Melissa Walbridge, bring the experience to the position and will be pushed by Wilson and sophomore transfer Kelsey Ream.
"Several players will compete for a starting spot, which will generate some good competition and push each of the players to get better," said Rose. "Christa has taken her play up a notch and both she and Arielle possess great quickness. Both are explosive off the floor and have the ability to generate points with both blocking and hitting. Melissa is a good read-blocker and both she and Kelsey are quiet yet effective on the offensive end."
Harmotto, along with Fawcett and Hodge, earned First Team All-Big Ten honors last season after ranking first on the team in blocks per game (1.58), second in hitting percentage (.404) and third in kills per game (2.85). Her hitting percentage mark placed her second in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation while her blocking tally put her second in the league and 14th in the country. Harmotto had at least three kills in every match of the year, including 14 double-digit kill contests, while hitting for .500 or better on 13 occasions. Named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 2, she posted at least one block in every match, including tying a career-best with 13 blocks versus Wisconsin on Oct. 7. Harmotto posted five or more blocks in 18 matches and also tallied a career-high two service aces on four occasions.
Walbridge earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors last year after averaging 1.66 kills per game on hitting .405 to lead the team and the Big Ten and rank eighth on the Penn State single-season hitting percentage chart. She led the squad in total blocks with 179 and ranked second in blocks per game with an average of 1.57, a mark that placed her third in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation. Walbridge recorded at least one kill in 34 of 35 matches, posting a season-high 14 kills on .599 hitting (14-2-24) at Minnesota on Oct. 28. She hit for better than .400 on 21 occasions and also had 34 multiple-block matches. Walbridge set a new career high with 12 stuffs in the five-game win at Texas on Sept. 8 and had three or more blocks 32 times.
Freshman Arielle Wilson comes to Penn State from Proviso East High School in Broadview, Ill. A three-year varsity captain and four-year starter for the Pirates, Wilson earned all-state, all-conference and all-area honors her senior season. A two-time Most Valuable Player for Proviso East, the 6-3 freshman was ranked seventh nationally by PrepVolleyball in 2006 and was named one of the top 50 recruits in the nation in 2007.
A transfer from Miami University, Kelsey Ream comes back to her native State College to play for the Nittany Lions. In her six matches with the Hurricanes last season, Ream provided 21 kills, nine service aces, 11 digs and 18 blocks. She tallied a career-high seven kills against Kansas on Aug. 26 and posted six kills on .556 hitting versus Alabama A&M, also racking up a personal-best six blocks. Ream provided four multiple-block matches at Miami, posting five or more stuffs three times.
Setter
The Nittany Lions have two viable options at setter in sophomores Alisha Glass and Jessica Yanz. While Glass set for a majority of the year last year, both learned what it takes to lead a team both on and off the court, experience that should prove valuable when it comes to the setting position.
"Both Alisha and Jess have a year of experience under their belts, which should help them both in their decision-making and general ability to lead the team," said Rose. "They gained more than on-court experience, and while Alisha has the edge with the amount of actual playing time, Jess' chemistry and confidence with the team has greatly improved."
Glass was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team after leading the Lions with 12.50 assists per game a year ago. She spent most of the season as the 5-1 setter but also saw time as a 6-2 setter, attacking primarily on the right side. She ranked third on the squad with 1.14 blocks per game and fourth with 21 service aces and 2.04 digs per game. She set the team to a Big Ten- and nation-best .323 hitting percentage, the only team in the country to finish the season hitting higher than .300. Glass earned Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Sept. 11 after leading the Nittany Lions to wins over Big 12 opponents Missouri and Texas on Sept. 7-8. She directed the offense to a combined .327 hitting percentage while averaging 13.38 assists per game through those two matches. Glass posted five double-doubles for the season, including a career-high 17 digs at LSU on Aug. 26. One of the best blocking setters in the nation according to Rose, Glass posted a career-best seven blocks three times and notched 14 matches of five or more stuffs.
Yanz saw action in 17 matches and 29 games last season as both a 6-2 and 5-1 setter. She dished out 119 total assists for an average of 4.10 assists per game, providing a career-best 23 assists versus Michigan on Oct. 20. Yanz recorded her first career double-double with 17 assists and a career-high 11 digs at LSU on Aug. 26. She picked up at least one dig in 10 contests and had at least one ace in seven matches, including a personal-best two service aces against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 16.
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Perhaps one of the positions where a newcomer could make an immediate impact is at libero, where freshman Alyssa D'Errico will vie for a starting spot. Coupled with returning junior and last season's libero Roberta Holehouse, Penn State's passing and serving game will provide the squad the opportunity to maximize its high-powered offense. Also giving the position depth will be seniors Kara Callahan and Ann Naylor along with newcomers Caitlyn Hess and Michele Osterrieder.
"Alyssa comes in as one of the top defensive players in the nation," stated Rose. "The combination of Alyssa and Roberta in the backcourt provides us with a steady defense and passing core. They are both strong servers with the ability to generate points from the endline. Kara, Ann, Caitlyn and Michele should also give us additional depth in the backcourt area."
D'Errico is a three-time first team all-state selection from Byron-Bergen (N.Y.) High School and is also a five-time Section V Class C Most Valuable Player (2002-2006), beginning in her eighth grade year. Possessing a powerful jump serve, she led the Bees to three New York state titles (2004-2006) and five sectional titles, finishing with a scholastic record of 98-12. Ranked 33rd on PrepVolleyball's "Senior Aces" list, D'Errico achieved the career milestones of 1,000 kills and digs during her junior season, ending her tenure with 1,879 kills and 1,521 digs. Named the 2006-2007 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year, D'Errico was also an alternate for the USA A2 Team in 2006.
Holehouse played in all 114 games last year, starting as the squad's defensive and serving specialist before taking over the role of libero. She led the team with 440 digs, placing her in a tie for eighth on Penn State's single-season record list. Her 3.86 digs per game average also ranks ninth on the single-season chart and placed her eighth in the Big Ten. Holehouse had at least one dig in every match of the season, including 27 double-digit dig matches. She set a new career-high and fell just short of the Penn State record for digs in a four-game match with 27 in the NCAA Regional Final match at Washington on Dec. 9. Bringing a powerful top-spin jump serve, Holehouse also led the squad with 50 service aces, good for first in the Big Ten (0.44 service aces per game) and 10th on Penn State's single-season record chart. She racked up a career-high six service aces against Tennessee State on Sept. 15 and had 13 multiple-ace contests.
Kara Callahan played in 19 matches and 21 games as a serving and defensive specialist. She posted seven digs and four aces for the year, including her first career ace against Nicholls State on Aug. 25 at the LSU Classic. Callahan picked up two digs against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 1 and again at Iowa on Sept. 22 and recorded a dig versus Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana.
Ann Naylor saw action in 23 matches and 28 games as a serving and defensive specialist and also at setter. She recorded 20 digs for the season, an average of 0.71 digs per game while also dishing out nine assists in setting appearances against Nicholls State and Rice. Naylor posted a career-high two service aces against Nicholls State on Aug. 25 and recorded a personal-best seven digs versus Lehigh on Sept. 16.
Caitlyn Hess comes to Penn State from Vincentian Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa. A three-time captain for the Lions, Hess helped her squad to the WPIAL title in her senior season along with a third-place finish in the state championship. Holding a 58-34 four-year scholastic record, Hess earned the Heart of the Champion award during her senior year.
Michele Osterrieder is a three-year letterwinner at North Allegheny (Pa.) High School. A team-captain for the Tigers during her senior year, she helped the squad to a 34-12 three-year record, including a second-place finish in the WPIAL in her final season. She recorded 597 career kills, 128 career blocks, 59 career aces and 286 career digs, earning second team all-WPIAL following her senior year.
Schedule
Penn State again boasts one of the toughest schedules in the nation, facing 11 teams that competed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, including seven that reached the Regional Semifinals. Among its opponents, Penn State will play defending national champion Nebraska, national runner-up Stanford, regional finalists Minnesota and Texas, along with regional semifinalists Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue. St. John's, Michigan State, Michigan and Cal Poly also saw NCAA Tournament action.
Also on the schedule this year for the Nittany Lions is the opportunity to host one of the four NCAA Regional Championships, joining Wisconsin, Florida and Stanford. The 2007 NCAA Championship will be held in Sacramento, Calif., at ARCO Arena on Dec. 13 and 15.
"As always, we appreciate the opportunity the University has given us by hosting this event," said Rose. "As a team, we hope to have the type of season that allows us to generate increased fan interest should we advance that far in the tournament. Penn State has always supported volleyball in a great way and this is another indication that shows that history."