Sept. 19, 2007
• Click here to watch Friday's match
• Click here to watch Saturday's match
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
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The third-ranked Nittany Lion women's volleyball team (8-2) kicks off the Big Ten season and their quest for a fifth-consecutive league title at home this weekend. Penn State hosts Michigan State (9-3) on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. before taking on Northwestern (9-2) on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7:00 p.m., both at Rec Hall.
With one win, head coach Russ Rose will become just the third coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the 900-win mark. Rose already has the most wins of any coach in Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics history.
Gametracker and a free webcast 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 Penn State women's volleyball posters.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with an 8-2 overall record after sweeping Yale (30-14, 30-14,30-20) and Delaware State (30-12, 30-10, 30-17) before falling to No. 2 Stanford in five games (23-30, 30-23, 30-27, 28-30, 9-15) last weekend at the Yale Classic in New Haven, Conn. Junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) lead the squad with 4.82 and 4.47 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) provides 3.28 kills per game on a Big Ten-leading .508 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dishes out an average of 11.14 assists per game as junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) produces 3.56 digs per game to lead the defense. Freshman Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) leads the blocking chart with 2.00 blocks per game (28 blocks in 14 games) as Harmotto is averaging 1.42 bpg (51 total blocks). As a team, Penn State is hitting a conference-leading .343 with 16.92 kills per game, 1.67 service aces per game, 13.56 digs per game and 3.42 blocks per game.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans come into Friday's match with a 9-3 overall record after defeating Eastern Michigan (30-19, 30-20, 30-17) and Central Michigan (30-22, 30-24, 30-25) last week. Senior outside hitters Katie Johnson and Ashley Schatzle lead the team with 4.53 and 4.32 kills per game, respectively, as sophomore middle hitter Vanessa King chips in 2.10 kills per game. Freshman setter Lauren O'Reilly directs the offense with 12.80 assists per game as Schatzle and senior libero Miken Trogdon head the defense with 3.27 and 3.15 digs per game, respectively. Freshman middle hitter Jenilee Rathje leads the team and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 1.48 blocks per game. As a team, Michigan State is hitting .260 with 16.05 kills per game, 2.00 service aces per game, 14.68 digs per game and 2.87 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan State
Penn State leads Michigan State, 27-6, in a series that began in 1985. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-24, 30-26,30-23) on Nov. 17, 2006 in East Lansing, Mich. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-18, 30-22, 30-13) on Oct. 21, 2006. Penn State has claimed the last eight meetings in the series.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats begin the weekend with a 9-2 overall record after capturing the title at the Wildcat Classic with wins over Drake (30-19, 30-22, 30-17), Western Michigan (30-15, 30-22, 30-23) and Saint Louis (30-26, 30-15, 28-30, 30-20) last weekend. Senior outside hitter Lindsay Anderson leads the team with 4.25 kills per game as five other players are averaging more than 2.00 kills per game, including senior outside hitter Courtnie Paulus (3.44 kpg), sophomore outside hitter Brittani Gray (3.16 kpg), junior middle hitter Chelsy Hyser (2.58 kpg), senior middle hitter Brittney Aldridge (2.10 kpg) and redshirt freshman Sabel Moffett (2.08 kpg). Freshman setter Elyse Glab directs the offense and leads the conference with 13.91 assists per game and sophomore libero and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Kate Nobilio tops the team and ranks second in the league with 6.33 digs per game. Moffett heads the blocking charts with 1.36 blocks per game as Hyser adds in 1.11 blocks per game. As a team, Northwestern is hitting .284, good for second in the conference, with 16.81 kills per game, a Big Ten-leading 2.03 service aces per game, 18.08 digs per game and 2.96 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Northwestern
Penn State leads Northwestern, 32-8, in a series that began in 1981. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-21, 30-27, 30-22) on Nov. 25, 2006 at Rec Hall. Penn State has claimed the last eight meetings in the series.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.