Nov. 7, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (22-2, 14-0 Big Ten) takes to the road to face Northwestern (15-10, 6-8 Big Ten) and Michigan State (15-11, 6-8 Big Ten) this weekend. The Nittany Lions and Wildcats square off on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. CT in Evanston, Ill., before the Lions and Spartans meet on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 5:00 p.m. ET in East Lansing, Mich. The Penn State-Michigan State match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and both matches will have Gametracker at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 22-2 overall record and a 14-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping both Purdue (30-24, 30-14, 30-28) and Indiana (30-14, 30-16, 30-23) last weekend at Rec Hall. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge and junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett lead the squad with 4.59 and 4.53 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto adds in 3.00 kills per game on a Big Ten-leading .474 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.50 assists per game as junior libero Roberta Holehouse tops the defense with 3.88 digs per game and Hodge adds in 2.65 dpg. Freshman middle hitter and current Big Ten Player of the Week Arielle Wilson tops the team and leads the Big Ten in blocking with 1.88 blocks per game as Harmotto adds in 1.60 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting a conference-best .332 with 16.90 kills per game, 1.56 service aces per game, 13.84 digs per game and 3.82 blocks per game.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats come into Friday's match with a 15-10 season mark and a 6-8 record in the Big Ten, winning their fifth consecutive match on Friday at Illinois in five games (25-30, 30-18, 20-30, 30-27, 15-12) before dropping a heartbreaker at Wisconsin in five games (23-30, 30-27, 37-35, 26-30, 15-17) on Saturday, both on the road. Senior outside hitter Lindsay Anderson leads the offense with 3.69 kills per game as senior outside hitter Courtnie Paulus and redshirt freshman outside hitter Brittani Gray add in 2.88 and 2.84 kpg, respectively. Freshman setter Elyse Glab dishes out 12.20 assists per game while sophomore libero Kate Nobilio ranks second in the Big Ten with a team-leading 5.66 digs per game. Junior middle hitter Chelsy Hyser leads the team with 108 total blocks, good for an average of 1.19 blocks per game. As a team, Northwestern is hitting .226 with 15.53 kills per game, 1.48 service aces per game, 16.54 digs per game and 2.88 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Northwestern
Penn State leads Northwestern, 33-8, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (31-29, 30-23, 30-13) on Sept. 22 at Rec Hall. The last meeting in Evanston was a three-game Penn State win (30-26, 30-26, 30-22) on Oct. 13, 2006.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans enter the weekend with a 15-11 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Wisconsin in four games (30-21, 25-30, 30-26, 30-28) in Madison and falling to Illinois in four games (28-30, 30-23, 28-30, 25-30) in Champaign last weekend. Senior outside hitters Katie Johnson and Ashley Schatzle lead the team with 4.36 and 4.35 kills per game, respectively, as sophomore middle hitter Vanessa King contributes 2.43 kpg and freshman middle hitter Jenilee Rathje produces 2.33 kpg. Freshman setter Lauren O'Reilly directs the offense with 13.07 assists per game while senior libero Miken Trogdon leads the defense with 3.34 digs per game and Rathje tops the blocking list with 1.20 blocks per game. As a team, Michigan State is hitting .246 with 16.37 kills per game, 1.46 service aces per game, 14.71 digs per game and 2.73 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan State
Penn State leads Michigan State, 28-6, in a series that began in 1985. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-13, 30-17, 30-17) in the Big Ten opener on Sept. 21 at Rec Hall. The last meeting in East Lansing was a three-game Penn State victory (30-24, 30-26, 30-23) on Nov. 17, 2006.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home for their final regular-season weekend at Rec Hall, hosting Wisconsin and Illinois on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16-17 at 7:00 p.m. each night. Friday night will be "Think Pink" night for the fight against breast cancer while Saturday night will be Senior Night, honoring Kara Callahan, Maggie Case, Ann Naylor, Kate Price and Melissa Walbridge.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.