Nov. 20, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (26-2, 18-0 Big Ten) closes out the Big Ten season on the road, traveling to Ohio State (13-14, 7-11 Big Ten) and Michigan (21-9, 9-9 Big Ten) over the next week. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes square off on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 8:00 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio, before the Lions face the Wolverines on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 5:00 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Live scoring or Gametracker will be available for both matches at www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State-Ohio State match will be televised live by the Big Ten Network and the Penn State-Michigan match will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET, also on the Big Ten Network.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the week with a 26-2 overall record and an 18-0 mark in the Big Ten after defeating No. 9 Wisconsin (30-28, 30-22, 24-30, 30-25) and sweeping Illinois (30-27, 30-22, 30-18) last weekend at home to clinch their fifth consecutive outright Big Ten title. Junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) lead the Lion attack with 4.57 and 4.55 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) chips in 3.13 kills per game on a league-leading .483 hitting percentage. Hodge needs just 17 kills to become the 19th player in Penn State history to reach 1,000 kills as she stands with 983. AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 12.85 assists per game while junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) leads the defense with 3.85 digs per game. Freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) heads the team and Big Ten blocking charts with 1.90 blocks per game as Harmotto adds in 1.60 bpg. As a team, Penn State is hitting a Big Ten-best .332 with 17.11 kills per game, 1.53 service aces per game, 13.73 digs per game and 3.82 blocks per game.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes come into Wednesday's match with an overall record of 13-14 and a 7-11 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Illinois (30-27, 30-26, 23-30, 30-27) on Friday night and falling to Wisconsin (21-30, 19-30, 14-30) on Monday night, both in Columbus. Senior Danielle Meyer leads the team with 4.14 kills per game while freshman outside hitter Katie Dull chips in 2.99 kills per game. Senior Briana McCarthy has directed the offense the last several matches and leads the team with 547 assists for the year while senior Ami Stevens tops the defense with 3.30 digs per game. Meyer also leads the blocking list with 1.39 blocks per game. As a team, Ohio State is hitting .201 with 14.48 kills per game, 1.38 service aces per game, 15.06 digs per game and 2.90 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads Ohio State, 29-14, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-23, 30-17, 30-16) on Oct. 10 in University Park, Pa. The last meeting in Columbus, Ohio, was a three-game Buckeye win (30-19, 30-26, 30-21) on Nov. 8, 2006. The last Penn State win in St. John Arena was a three-game victory (30-18, 30-24, 30-24) on Sept. 28, 2005.
Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines enter the weekend with a 21-9 overall record and a 9-9 mark in the Big Ten after falling to Purdue in four games (25-30, 30-21, 29-31, 28-30) before sweeping Indiana (30-21, 30-23, 30-24) last weekend on the road. Senior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski leads the team with 4.59 kills per game as junior middle hitter Beth Karpiak and senior middle hitter Lyndsay Miller add in 3.07 and 3.03 kills per game, respectively. Freshman setter Lexi Zimmerman directs the offense with 13.41 assists per game and senior libero Stesha Selsky leads the defense with 6.16 digs per game as Karpiak heads the blocking chart with 1.03 blocks per game. As a team, Michigan is hitting .235 with 16.55 kills per game, 1.36 service aces per game, 18.23 digs per game and 2.13 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan
Penn State leads Michigan, 32-3, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-16, 30-28, 30-22) on Oct. 12 in University Park, Pa. The last meeting in Ann Arbor was a three-game Penn State victory (30-27, 34-32, 30-14) on Nov. 18, 2006.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions await the selections for the NCAA Tournament, which will air on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 8:00 p.m. The First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Championship will be held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at campus sites, and Rec Hall will host one of four NCAA Regional Championships on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8. Friday's semifinal matches are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the winners of each contest squaring off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. live on ESPNU.
Tickets for the NCAA Regionals are on sale now at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533. All session ticket prices are $16 for adults and $10 for youth and students. Single-session, sold the day of at the door only, are $10 for adults and $7 for students and youth. Groups of 10 or more, any age, are just $4 per person.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.