Oct. 4, 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 Penn State women's volleyball team (12-2, 4-0 Big Ten) will host Iowa and No. 11 Minnesota this weekend at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes (9-6, 1-3 Big Ten) meet on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m. before the Lions and Golden Gophers (11-3, 4-0 Big Ten) square off on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Gametracker and a 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 overall record of 12-2 and a 4-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping Indiana (30-19, 30-22, 30-22) and Purdue (30-18, 30-20, 38-36) last weekend on the road. Junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) lead the squad with 4.59 and 4.48 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) adds in 3.06 kills per game on .498 hitting and freshman middle hitter and Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) chips in 2.59 kills per game on .505 attacking. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 11.75 assists per game and junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) leads the defense with 3.61 digs per game as Hodge provides 2.48 digs per game. Wilson (2.05 bpg) heads four players who are averaging more than one block per game, including Harmotto (1.56 bpg), senior middle hitter Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa. / 1.20 bpg) and redshirt freshman opposite Blair Brown (Purcellville, Pa. / 1.06 bpg). As a team, Penn State is hitting a Big Ten-best .337 with a conference-leading 16.81 kills per game, 1.60 service aces per game, 13.56 digs per game and a league-high 3.81 blocks per game, including averaging 5.00 bpg in Big Ten contests.
Scouting Iowa
The Hawkeyes come into Friday's contest with a 9-6 record and a 1-3 conference mark after falling to then-No. 12 Minnesota in three games (24-30, 17-30, 30-32) and defeating then-No. 11 Michigan in five games (28-30, 29-31, 30-26, 30-28, 15-10) last weekend at home. This will be the first Big Ten road match for the squad. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Schipper leads the team with 3.20 kills per game as junior middle hitter Laura Kremer chips in 2.50 kills per game. Junior setter Kiley Fister directed the offense through the two matches last weekend and is averaging 6.98 assists per game as junior libero Emily Hiza heads the defense with 4.50 digs per game. Kremer also leads the blocking list with 1.34 blocks per game. As a team, Iowa is hitting .183 with 14.03 kills per game, 1.53 service aces per game, 14.83 digs per game and 2.75 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Iowa
Penn State leads Iowa, 32-0, in a series that began in 1991. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-17, 30-18, 30-20) on Nov. 11, 2006 at Rec Hall.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers begin the weekend with an 11-3 record and a 4-0 Big Ten mark after sweeping Iowa (30-24, 30-17, 32-30) and then-No. 11 Michigan (31-29, 31-29, 30-26) last weekend. Freshman outside hitter Brook Dieter and junior outside hitter Kyla Roehrig lead the offense with 4.26 and 3.84 kills per game, respectively. Junior setter Rachel Hartmann directs the offense with 12.74 assists per game and Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week sophomore libero Christine Tan leads the defense with 4.67 digs per game. Senior middle hitter Jessy Jones, who leads the blocking chart with 1.73 blocks per game, went down with an ankle injury during the Michigan match and is questionable for this weekend. Roehrig ranks second on the list with 1.25 blocks per game. As a team, Minnesota is hitting .248 with 15.87 kills per game, 1.47 service aces per game, 16.66 digs per game and 3.70 blocks per game. The Gophers are also leading the league in opponent hitting percentage, holding teams to hitting .123.
The Series: Penn State vs. Minnesota
Penn State leads Minnesota, 28-7, in a series that began in 1983. The last meeting was a five-game Nittany Lion win (21-30, 30-12, 26-30, 30-24, 15-13) on Oct. 28, 2006 in Minneapolis. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a four-game Penn State victory (30-24, 25-30, 30-20, 30-26) on Oct. 6, 2006.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.