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Sept. 12, 2007; UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The third-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (6-1) travels to the Yale Classic this weekend in New Haven, Conn. The Nittany Lions take on the host Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 14 at 7:00 p.m. before facing Delaware State on Saturday, Sept. 15 at noon and closing out action with No. 2 Stanford at 7:00 p.m.
Gametracker can be viewed for all matches at www.GoPSUsports.com and Penn State's matches with Yale and Stanford will be video streamed live for free on the web via www.GoPSUsports.com or at Yalebulldogs.com, accessed by clicking the All Access button on the top right of the page.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 6-1 record after taking home the title at the Penn State Classic last weekend with three-game wins over then-No. 24 St. John's, Colgate and VCU. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) was named the MVP of the tournament, also picking up Sports Imports/AVCA National and Big Ten Player of the Week honors. For the season, Hodge and junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) lead the team with 4.60 and 4.68 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) chips in 3.24 kills per game. Sophomore setter Jessica Yanz (Bolingbrook, Ill.) started all three matches last weekend and is averaging 9.07 assists per game as freshman Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) assumed the libero duties last weekend and is providing 1.64 digs per game for the year. Harmotto is leading the team with 36 total blocks as Hodge ranks second with 21. In her first weekend of play, freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) provided 14 blocks in six games, good for an average of 2.33 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting .324 with 16.76 kills per game with 1.64 service aces per game, 14.00 digs per game and 3.48 blocks per game.
Scouting Yale
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 3-0 record after defeating Maine, Rhode Island and Sacred Heart last weekend. Sophomore outside hitters Alexis Crusey and Julia Mailander lead the squad with 3.75 and 3.25 kills per game, respectively, as junior setter Ally Mendenhall directs the offense with 12.22 assists per game. Freshman libero Taylor Morgan tops the team with 4.29 digs per game and Crusey chips in an average of 4.00 digs per game. Sophomore middle hitter Laurel Johnson heads the blocking charts with 1.62 blocks per game. As a team, Yale is hitting .303 with 15.00 kills per game, 2.89 service aces per game, 18.78 digs per game and 2.44 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Yale
Penn State leads Yale, 4-0, in a series that began in 1978. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-16, 30-14, 30-11) on Sept. 18, 2004 in University Park, Pa. This will be the first meeting in New Haven, Conn.
Connections
Yale head coach Erin Appleman was an assistant coach for the 1999 Nittany Lion squad that won the national championship.
Scouting Delaware State
The Hornets enter the weekend with a 0-11 record after falling to Harvard, Michigan State and Boston College all in three games last weekend. Senior outside hitter Ayana Dyette leads the team with 3.72 kills per game and senior Laura Huculak directs the offense with 7.19 assists per game. Senior Kinga Muszynski tops the squad with 4.17 digs per game as Huculak provides 2.69 digs per game and sophomore middle hitter Cassandra Joyner and freshman middle hitter Ashley Herman head the blocking charts with 0.54 and 0.53 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Delaware State is hitting .068 with 10.28 kills per game, 1.00 service aces per game, 15.08 digs per game and 1.53 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Delaware State
This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Delaware State in the sport of women's volleyball.
Scouting Stanford
The Cardinal enter the week with a perfect 7-0 record and travel to play at Cincinnati Wednesday before heading to the Yale Classic. Freshman outside hitter Alix Klineman, junior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza and Pac-10 Player of the Week junior middle hitter Foluke Akinradewo lead the team with 4.26, 4.17 and 4.09 kills per game, respectively. Senior setter Bryn Kehoe directs the offense with 14.61 assists per game as freshman libero Gabi Ailes tops the defense with 4.09 digs per game and Barboza adds in 3.17 digs per game. Akinradewo heads the blocking list with 1.48 blocks per game as Kehoe, junior opposite Erin Waller and senior middle hitter Franci Girard chip in 0.87, 0.75 and 0.70 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Stanford is hitting .310 with 18.26 kills per game, 1.57 service aces per game, 17.96 digs per game and 2.57 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Stanford
Penn State and Stanford are tied 4-4 in a series that began in 1992. The last meeting was a five-game Cardinal win (30-24,30-24, 28-30, 23-30, 15-10) on Aug. 26, 2005 at the AVCA/NACWAA Showcase in Omaha, Neb. The last Nittany Lion victory was a five-game win (31-29, 23-30, 30-25, 26-30, 15-12) on Sept. 10, 2004 at Stanford.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions open up the Big Ten season on Friday, Sept. 21 when they host Michigan State at 7:00 p.m. ET at Rec Hall. Penn State then takes on Northwestern on Saturday, Sept. 22, also at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. Both matches will be available on Gametracker at www.GoPSUsports.com.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.