Nov. 14, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (24-2, 16-0 Big Ten) hosts No. 9 Wisconsin (22-3, 14-2 Big Ten) and Illinois (15-11, 7-9 Big Ten) on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16-17 at 7:00 p.m. each night at Rec Hall. It is the final regular-season home weekend for the Nittany Lions, who could capture their fifth consecutive and 11th overall Big Ten title this weekend with two wins.
Gametracker and live streaming video will be available 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.
Friday night will be "Think Pink" night, with donations for the fight against breast cancer taken at the door and added to the women's basketball "Think Pink" event on Feb. 10. It is also "Team Night" at Rec Hall on Friday, with high school teams gaining free admission. Coaches need to send a roster to Steve Aird (saa148@psu.edu) to be eligible for the free admission. The first 600 fans Friday will get the choice between a pink t-shirt or a volleyball backpack, and 400 Lowe's gift cards will be given away throughout the weekend. Saturday night is Senior Night, honoring seniors Maggie Case, Kara Callahan, Ann Naylor, Kate Price and Melissa Walbridge for their contributions to Penn State and women's volleyball. A senior poster will be given away Saturday night.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with an overall record of 24-2 and a Big Ten mark of 16-0 after sweeping both Northwestern (30-24, 30-20, 30-27) and Michigan State (30-27, 30-21, 30-24) last weekend on the road. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) and junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) lead the Lion attack with 4.58 and 4.55 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) chips in 3.03 kills per game on a Big Ten-leading .479 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 12.74 assists per game as junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) leads the defense with 3.92 digs per game and Hodge chips in 2.64 digs per game. Freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) leads both the team and the conference with 1.81 blocks per game as Harmotto chips in 1.63 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting a Big Ten-best .331 with 17.07 kills per game, 1.55 service aces per game, 13.90 digs per game and 3.78 blocks per game.
Scouting Wisconsin
The Badgers enter Friday's match with a 22-3 overall record and a second-place 14-2 mark in conference action after defeating Illinois in three games (30-14, 30-23, 30-28) and outlasting Michigan in five games (24-30, 30-27, 27-30, 30-22, 16-14) last weekend at home. Sophomore outside hitter Brittney Dolgner leads the team with 4.70 kills per game as several other players average more than 2.00 kills per game, including junior Audra Jeffers (2.53 kpg), senior Taylor Reineke (2.51 kpg), sophomore Katherine Dykstra (2.45 kpg), freshman Allison Wack (2.26 kpg) and sophomore Caity DuPont (2.21 kpg). Senior setter Jackie Simpson dishes out 13.11 assists per game as senior libero Jocelyn Wack tops the defense with 4.68 digs per game. Reineke leads the blocking list with 1.54 blocks per game, good for fourth in the Big Ten, as Jeffers adds in 1.31 bpg. As a team, Wisconsin is hitting .273 with 16.38 kills per game, 1.42 service aces per game, 15.27 digs per game and 3.24 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Wisconsin
Penn State leads Wisconsin, 30-6, in a series that began in 1986. The previous meeting this season was a five-game Nittany Lion victory (30-18, 24-30, 24-30, 30-27, 15-13) in Madison on Oct. 21. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-24, 30-22, 30-27) on Oct. 7, 2006.
Scouting Illinois
The Fighting Illini come into the weekend with a 15-11 overall mark and a 7-9 Big Ten record after falling to Wisconsin (14-30, 23-30, 28-30) and Michigan (19-30, 23-30, 28-30) last weekend. Freshman outside hitter Laura DeBruler leads the team with 4.96 kills per game as senior middle hitter Vicki Brown and senior outside hitter Stefanie Alde chip in 3.29 and 2.56 kpg, respectively. Freshman setter Hillary Haen directed the offense in both matches last weekend, collecting 74 assists (12.33 apg), while sophomore libero Ashley Edinger tops the defense with 4.86 digs per game. Brown heads the blocking chart with 1.19 blocks per game. As a team, Illinois is hitting .218 with 15.50 kills per game, 1.28 service aces per game, 15.61 digs per game and 2.31 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Illinois
Penn State leads Illinois, 31-6, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a five-game Nittany Lion win (30-28, 30-25, 19-30, 28-30, 15-10) on Oct. 19, 2007 in Champaign, Ill. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State victory (30-22, 30-23, 30-13) on Nov. 24, 2006.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions take to the road for their final regular-season road trip, traveling to Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET in a match that will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State remains on the road, taking on Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 5:00 p.m. ET in a contest that will also be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, although on an hour delay, beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.