Oct. 9, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
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The third-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (14-2, 6-0 Big Ten) hosts Ohio State (8-7, 2-4 Big Ten) in a mid-week match on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Rec Hall.
The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and Gametracker will be available 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.
This will be a Code Blue event, with the first 200 students receiving a "Code Blue" t-shirt and all students having the chance to win the free use of textbooks for an entire semester and season tickets to men's and women's basketball.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions (14-2) enter Wednesday's contest with a share of the Big Ten lead with Wisconsin as both teams are 6-0 in league action as the Nittany Lions swept both Iowa (30-23, 30-15, 30-24) and then-No. 11 Minnesota (30-16, 30-25, 30-26) last weekend at Rec Hall. Big Ten Player of the Week junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield. Ohio) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) lead the offense with 4.85 and 4.44 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) chips in 3.08 kpg and freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) adds in 2.64 kpg. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 12.17 assists per game and junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) tops the defense with 3.69 digs per game as Hodge contributes 2.74 dpg and senior Kate Price (Fraser, Mich.) is averaging 2.12 dpg. Wilson heads the blocking chart with 2.11 blocks per game while Harmotto puts in 1.51 bpg, senior Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.) adds 1.12 bpg and redshirt freshman Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) notches 1.00 bpg. As a team, Penn State is hitting .329 with 17.00 kills per game, 1.59 service aces per game, 13.69 digs per game and 3.78 blocks per game. In Big Ten matches, the Nittany Lions are hitting .301 with 17.17 kills per game, 1.44 service aces per game, 13.94 digs per game and 4.50 blocks per game.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes come into the match with an overall record of 8-7 and a Big Ten mark of 2-4 after falling to then-No. 11 Minnesota in five games (27-30, 24-30, 30-21, 32-30, 10-15) and defeating Iowa in four games (30-22, 30-21, 25-30, 30-25) last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. Senior middle hitter Danielle Meyer leads the offense with 4.30 kills per game while freshman outside hitter Katie Dull and sophomore outside hitter Anna Szerszen chip in 2.82 and 2.43 kills per game respectively. Senior Briana McCarthy directed the offense last weekend, recording 107 total assists for an average of 11.89 assists per game. Senior libero Ami Stevens tops the defense with 3.04 digs per game and Meyer heads the blocking list with 1.36 blocks per game as sophomore middle hitter Kristen Dozier chips in 1.02 blocks per game. As a team, Ohio State is hitting .277 with 14.58 kills per game, 1.72 service aces per game, 14.58 digs per game and 2.84 blocks per game. In Big Ten matches, the Buckeyes are hitting .214 with 13.79 kills per game, 1.58 service aces per game, 14.29 digs per game and 2.79 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads Ohio State, 28-14, in a series that began in 1981. The last meeting was a three-game Buckeye win (30-19, 30-26, 30-21) on Nov. 8, 2006 in Columbus, Ohio. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a three-game Nittany Lion sweep (30-21, 31-29, 30-16) on Sept. 20, 2006. Since 2004, Penn State has only dropped four Big Ten matches, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Ohio State.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions remain at home, hosting Michigan on Friday, Oct. 12 at 8:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. Penn State then takes to the road for the next four matches, traveling to Illinois and Wisconsin on Friday and Sunday, Oct. 19 and 21, respectively. The match with the Lions and Badgers will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.