Sept. 27, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
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The third-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (10-2, 2-0 Big Ten) travels this weekend to take on Indiana and Purdue. The Nittany Lions face off with the Hoosiers on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7:00 p.m. ET in Bloomington, Ind., before taking on the Boilermakers on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET in West Lafayette, Ind.
Gametracker will be available for both matches at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with an overall record of 10-2 and a 2-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping both Michigan State (30-13, 30-17, 30-17) and Northwestern (31-29, 30-23, 30-13) last weekend to begin conference play. Junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) lead the squad with 4.80 and 4.45 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter and current Big Ten Player of the Week Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) chips in 3.21 kills per game on a conference-best .514 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 11.56 assists per game and junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) tops the defense with 3.62 digs per game as Hodge adds in 2.50 dpg. Harmotto heads the blocking list with 65 total blocks, good for an average of 1.55 blocks per game, as senior middle hitter Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.) chips in an average of 1.21 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting a Big Ten-best .347 with 16.93 kills per game, 1.64 service aces per game, 13.55 digs per game and 3.67 blocks per game.
Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers come into Friday's match with a 10-4 record for the season and a 1-1 mark in conference play after defeating Iowa in five games (29-31, 23-30, 30-21, 31-29, 15-13) and falling to Minnesota in three games (30-32, 16-30, 21-30) last weekend on the road. Junior outside hitter Erica Short leads the team with 4.65 kills per game as senior opposite Lauren Ditteon adds in 2.76 kpg. Freshman setter Mara Hilgenberg directs the offense with 12.82 assists per game and senior Juli Pierce tops the defense with 3.92 digs per game. Freshman middle hitter Ashley Benson heads the blocking chart with 48 total blocks (1.12 bpg) as freshman Taylor Wittmer chips in 1.05 bpg. As a team, Indiana is hitting .228 with 15.45 kills per game, 1.75 service aces per game, 14.41 digs per game and 2.79 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Indiana
Penn State leads Indiana, 34-0, in a series that began in 1982. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-18, 30-15, 30-17) on Nov. 4, 2006, at Rec Hall. The previous meeting in Bloomington was a three-game Penn State win (30-19, 30-23, 30-22) on Sept. 26, 2006). The Nittany Lions last dropped a game to the Hoosiers in 2001.
Scouting Purdue
The Boilermakers come into the weekend with an 8-5 overall record and a 1-1 Big Ten mark after falling to Minnesota (26-30, 28-30, 25-30) and defeating Iowa (30-20, 30-24, 30-21) last weekend on the road. Junior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch and junior outside hitter Danita Merlau lead the squad with 4.08 and 3.98 kills per game, respectively as senior outside hitter Samantha Mader chips in 2.90 kpg. The team ran a 6-2 offense over the weekend, as freshman setter Jaclyn Hart leads the squad for the year with 9.89 assists per game and sophomore setter Sam Gray dishes out 7.90 assists per game. Senior libero Anne Mastandrea leads the defense with 5.69 digs per game, good for third in the conference, as Lynch tops the blocking list with 1.19 blocks per game. As a team, Purdue is hitting .210 with 15.71 kills per game, 1.15 service aces per game, a Big Ten-best 19.96 digs per game and 2.94 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Purdue
Penn State leads Purdue, 37-5, in a series that began in 1981. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-24, 30-18, 30-15) in the NCAA Regional Semifinal in Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 8, 2006. The last meeting in West Lafayette was a three-game Penn State victory (30-12, 31-29, 30-27) on Sept. 30, 2006. The Nittany Lions have dropped only two games to the Boilermakers since 1997.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home to host Iowa and Minnesota next weekend at Rec Hall. Penn State squares off with the Hawkeyes on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m. before facing the Gophers on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8:00 p.m. The Penn State-Minnesota match has been moved back an hour to 8:00 p.m. to accommodate fans and the 3:30 p.m. kickoff of the Penn State-Iowa football game across campus at Beaver Stadium.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.