Nov. 29, 2007
Complete NCAA First & Second Round Match Notes in PDF Format
Complete NCAA First & Second Round Schedule in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The top-ranked Big Ten champion Penn State women's volleyball team (28-2, 20-0 Big Ten) begins its NCAA title quest Friday night at Rec Hall when it hosts MAAC champion Siena (24-7) Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Rec Hall in the First Round of the Tournament. The other First Round match features Horizon League winner Cleveland State (23-8) and America East champion Albany (23-9) and begins at 5:00 p.m. The winners of each of the matches will meet in the NCAA Second Round contest at 7:30 p.m. at Rec Hall on Saturday, Dec. 1. Penn State will also host the NCAA Regional Championship on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8 at Rec Hall.
Gametracker will be available for all three matches and the Penn State-Siena contest will be streamed online at www.GoPSUsports.com for free with registration. Should the Nittany Lions advance to the NCAA Second Round, that contest will also be streamed.
The first 100 Penn State students each night will gain admission for free at the student gate at the far right of Rec Hall, Friday beginning at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday starting at 6:00 p.m.
ALL SESSION tickets for the First and Second rounds MUST be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket office or by calling 814-865-555 or 1-800-863-3336 on sale now up until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30. All session tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, youth and students with a valid college or university ID. SINGLE SESSION tickets WILL ONLY be available at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday and are $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, youth and students.
Previewing Penn State
The Big Ten Champion Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 28-2 overall record after defeating Ohio State (30-22, 30-21, 30-21) and Michigan (30-21, 30-22, 30-32, 30-21) last weekend on the road to close out the Big Ten schedule with a perfect 20-0 record for the fourth time in program history. First Team All-Big Ten performers sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) and junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) lead the team with 4.63 and 4.49 kills per game, respectively, as Big Ten Player of the Year junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) adds in 3.12 kills per game on .483 hitting, good for second in the nation. First Team All-Big Ten sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 12.97 assists per game and junior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) provides the squad with 3.84 digs per game. Big Ten Freshman of the Year middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) leads the team with 1.83 blocks per game and became the second-ever freshman to lead the league in blocking in conference matches, while Harmotto ranks second on the squad with 1.63 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting .337 with 17.15 kills per game, 1.48 service aces per game, 13.75 digs per game and 3.82 blocks per game.
Scouting Siena
The Saints come into Friday's match with an overall record of 24-7 after defeating Iona and Fairfield to capture the MAAC Championship and gain the team's third consecutive NCAA bid. MAAC Tournament MVP senior outside hitter Nadiege Honore, sister of Saint Francis men's volleyball AVCA First Team All-American Marc Honore, leads the team with 4.18 kills per game as MAAC Player of the Year sophomore middle hitter Burgandy McCurty chips in 3.84 kills per game on .436 hitting and freshman Aubrey Bobo adds in 3.77 kills per game. Junior setter April London directs the offense with 12.89 assists per game as junior libero Kathi Kobayashi tops the defense with 3.74 digs per game and McCurty heads the blocking list with 1.13 blocks per game. As a team, Siena is hitting .278 with 16.20 kills per game, 2.33 service aces per game, 16.12 digs per game and 2.16 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Siena
This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Siena in the sport of women's volleyball.
The Series Versus Possible Second Round Opponents
Albany
This would be the first meeting between Penn State and Albany in the sport of women's volleyball.
Cleveland State
Penn State leads Cleveland State, 3-1, in a series that began in 1977. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (15-3, 15-2, 15-0) on Nov. 14, 1987 at Rec Hall.
Up Next
The winner of the University Park Sub-Regional advances to the NCAA Regional Semifinal next weekend at Rec Hall to take on the winner of the Ann Arbor NCAA Sub-Regional site that includes Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Illinois State and No. 14 seed Colorado State. The other NCAA Regional Semifinal match would pit the Louisville Sub-Regional (No. 11 seed Hawaii, Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee, Louisville) against the Seattle Sub-Regional (No. 6 seed Washington, Missouri, Mississippi, BYU).
NCAA Regional Semifinal contests on Friday, Dec. 7 at match times are at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the NCAA Regional Final match slated for Saturday, Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. live on ESPNU.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.