Aug. 22, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The third-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team opens up the 2007 season this weekend, hosting fourth-ranked Texas at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25 at 7:00 p.m. each night.
Gametracker can be viewed for both matches at www.GoPSUsports.com. Penn State students get into the matches for free with their university ID and tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and groups of 10 or more are $2 per person. Fans will have the chance to win tickets to the NCAA Regional Championship hosted by Penn State on Dec. 7-8 and will also receive PHEAA rally towels this weekend.
Previewing Penn State The Nittany Lions return seven starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's 32-3 NCAA Regional Final squad that captured an unprecedented fourth-consecutive outright Big Ten title. Junior Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.), both AVCA First Team All-Americans a year ago, lead the attack on the outside while 2006 AVCA Second Team All-American Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) and 2005 AVCA Second Team All-American Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.) anchor the team in the middle. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) led the team last season with 12.50 assists per game while directing the team to a nation-best .323 hitting percentage. Also returning is junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.), who last season led the squad with 3.86 digs per game and racked up a career-high 27 digs in the NCAA Regional Final contest at Washington. Harmotto and Walbridge ranked second and third, respectively, in the Big Ten in blocks per game while Glass also chipped in 1.14 blocks per game. Penn State also brings in a talented freshman class that includes middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) and libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.).
Scouting Texas The Longhorns come into the weekend with four returning AVCA All-Americans, including senior middle hitter Brandy Magee who rejoins the squad after missing a majority of the 2006 season with a knee injury. Senior setter Michelle Moriarty, sophomore outside hitter Destinee Hooker and sophomore setter and right side hitter Ashley Engle all also picked up AVCA All-America honors a year ago. Picked to finish second in the Big 12 behind defending national champion Nebraska, Texas garnered four preseason All-Big 12 honors as Engle, Hooker and Moriarty earned Preseason All-Big 12 honors and incoming freshman Juliann Faucette picked up Preseason Freshman of the Year honors.
The Series: Penn State vs. Texas Penn State and Texas are tied 6-6 in a series that began in 1982. The last meeting was a five-game Nittany Lion victory (27-30, 28-30, 30-28, 36-34, 15-13) on Sept. 8, 2006 in Austin, Texas. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a four-game Penn State win (15-6, 12-15, 15-10, 15-11) on Sept. 18, 1999. The Longhorns captured the first six meetings of the series as the Nittany Lions have won the last six contests between the schools.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.