Aug. 16, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The four-time defending Big Ten champion Penn State women's volleyball team has been voted as the preseason favorite for the third consecutive year by the league coaches, conference officials announced today. In addition, three Nittany Lion players earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors from the coaches. Junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio), junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) all earned the accolade, with Fawcett and Hodge picking up two of the three unanimous selections to the squad. It is the second preseason honor for both Fawcett and Harmotto and the first for Hodge.
Ranked third in the country by both the CSTV/AVCA National Preseason Coaches Poll and by RichKern.com, the Nittany Lions command the preseason poll for the fourth time since 2001. Mirroring the 2006 Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, Wisconsin was picked second while Minnesota was slated third, Ohio State picked fourth and Purdue tabbed fifth. Rounding out the rest of the poll was Michigan at sixth, Michigan State at seventh, Illinois at eighth, Northwestern at ninth, Iowa at 10th and Indiana at 11th.
Penn State is one of two schools to have multiple student-athletes on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad, which is comprised of 12 players from eight schools. Vicky Brown (Illinois, Sr., MH), Katie Bruzdzinski (Michigan, Sr., OH), Katie Johnson (Michigan State, Sr., OH), Jessy Jones (Minnesota, Sr., MH), Danielle Meyer (Ohio State, Sr., MH), Stephanie Lynch (Purdue, Jr., MH), Brittney Dolgner (Wisconsin, So., OH), Taylor Reineke (Wisconsin, Sr., MH) and Jackie Simpson (Wisconsin, Sr., S) filled out the remaining spots, with Meyer picking up the other unanimous selection. The Nittany Lion players are also three of only five non-seniors on the list.
Fawcett is a two-time AVCA All-America selection and a two-time unanimous First Team All-Big Ten pick. Named the 2005 AVCA National and Big Ten Freshman of the Year, last season she averaged 4.27 kills per game as an outside hitter, good for second on the team and eighth in the Big Ten. Fawcett finished the season 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 her third season with 979 career kills, just 21 shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. Her 483 kills in 2006 rank 14th on the single-season record chart and she posted double-digit kills in 30 matches, including the last seven contests of the season.
Harmotto is a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and last season picked up AVCA Second Team All-America honors. She ranked first on the team in blocks per game (1.58), second on the squad in hitting percentage (.404) and third on the team in kills per game (2.85). Named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 2, Harmotto's average of 1.58 blocks per game ties her for 10th all-time on the single-season chart, equaling Terri Zemaitis' 1997 mark. Her hitting percentage mark placed her second in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation while her blocks per game average put her second in the league and 14th in the country. Harmotto posted at least one block in every match, including tying a career-best with 13 blocks versus Wisconsin on Oct. 7.
Hodge garners her first preseason All-Big Ten honor after last season becoming the first player in conference history to be named both the Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year. Also named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year and an AVCA First Team All-American, Hodge led the Big Ten in points per game (5.57) and kills per game (4.83), while also ranking second on the Nittany Lion squad with 39 service aces and 303 digs. Hodge's 551 kills a year ago ranks sixth on the Penn State single-season record chart and is the highest for the rally-scoring era, making her only the seventh Nittany Lion player ever to record more than 500 kills in a season. She posted double-digit kills in 31 matches and had 11 double-doubles, including both matches at the NCAA Seattle Regional against No. 18 Purdue and No. 3 Washington. Hodge had 14 multiple-ace matches and posted a career-high 20 digs versus Michigan on Oct. 20.
The Nittany Lions open up the 2007 slate at home against No. 4 Texas on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24 and 25 at 7:00 p.m. each night at Rec Hall. Penn State then travels to take on No. 14 Cal Poly (Aug. 31) and defending national champion and No. 1 Nebraska (Sept. 2) in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb., respectively. The Nittany Lions open up the Big Ten slate with Michigan State and Northwestern at home on Sept. 21-22.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.