Dec. 5, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The five-time defending Big Ten Champion Penn State women's volleyball team (30-2) collected four First Team All-Mideast Region honors, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced today. Junior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio), sophomore setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.), junior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) and sophomore outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) were four of 12 players named to the all-region squad. In addition, Nittany Lion head coach Russ Rose was named the AVCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year.
No. 1 Penn State's four all-region honors bring the Lions' total number of honorees to 55 in the program's history and all are now eligible for AVCA All-America honors, announced in conjunction with the NCAA Championship in Sacramento, Calif., on Dec. 13 & 15.
Fawcett earns her third consecutive AVCA First Team All-Region honor. A two-time AVCA All-American and three-time unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection, Fawcett ranks second on the team with 4.50 kills per game on .308 hitting. She has 27 double-digit kill matches this season, including a career-high 31 kills against Cal Poly on Aug. 31. Against Illinois on Nov. 17, Fawcett surpassed the 1,400 kills for her career, making her only the eighth Nittany Lion player in history to accomplish the feat. She also has a team-leading 38 service aces for the season to go along with 160 digs and 87 total blocks.
Glass earns her first career AVCA First Team All-Region honor after also being selected First Team All-Big Ten. She has directed the Lions to a .347 season hitting percentage, which ranks first in the country, and has four players averaging more than 2.00 kills per game. Glass is averaging 12.98 assists per game and also has 76 kills on .312 hitting along with 174 digs and 93 total blocks.
Harmotto picks up her third consecutive AVCA First Team All-Region honor after being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Hitting .489 for the year, good for second in the country, Harmotto is averaging 3.10 kills per game and 1.64 blocks per game, which places her fifth in the nation. She has 19 double-digit kill matches and has at least four blocks in 24 contests, including a season-best 12 stuffs at Illinois on Oct. 19.
Hodge earns her second straight AVCA First Team All-Region honor after picking up her second consecutive unanimous First Team All-Big Ten recognition. She is averaging a team-leading 4.63 kills per game on .298 hitting with 2.65 digs per game, also adding in 78 total blocks. She has double-digit kills in every match of the season, including recording a season-high 25 kills at Michigan on Nov. 24 and putting down 17 kills on .714 hitting in the NCAA First Round win over Siena.
Rose picks up his fifth AVCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year honor and was also recognized as the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career. He has led his Nittany Lion squad to 27 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 Big Ten titles in 17 years, including the last five consecutive championships. He leads the nation with a .853 winning percentage based on his career record of 921-159 and his 2007 team became just the seventh squad since double-round-robin play began in 1985 to finish the Big Ten schedule with an undefeated 20-0 league record.
No. 1 Penn State hosts No. 19 Michigan Friday at Rec Hall at 7:30 p.m. in one of two NCAA Regional Semifinal matches. The other features No. 17 BYU and No. 16 Middle Tennessee at 5:00 p.m. The winners advance to the NCAA Regional Final match slated for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Rec Hall. Gametracker and video feeds for the semifinal matches are at www.GoPSUsports.com and the Penn State - Michigan match will be broadcast in the State College area on WPSU. The NCAA Regional Championship match will be aired live to a national audience on ESPNU.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
2007 AVCA All-Mideast Region
Katie Bruzdzinski, University of Michigan, OH, Sr.
Brittney Dolgner, University of Wisconsin, OH, So.
Nicole Fawcett, Penn State University, OH, Jr.
Alisha Glass, Penn State University, S, So.
Melissa Griffin, Ohio University, RS/Opp., Sr.
Christa Harmotto, Penn State University, MB, Jr.
Megan Hodge, Penn State University, OH, So.
Stephanie Lynch, Purdue University, MB, Jr.
Taylor Reineke, University of Wisconsin, MB, Sr.
Ashley Schatzle, Michigan State University, OH, Sr.
Jackie Simpson, University of Wisconsin, S, Sr.
Lexi Zimmerman, University of Michigan, S, Fr.
Region Freshman of the Year: Lexi Zimmerman, Michigan, S
Honorable Mention: Brook Dieter ( Minnesota, OH, Fr.), Shelby Heggie (Long Island, RS/Opp., Sr.), Ellen Herman ( Ohio, OH, So.), Chelsy Hyser (Northwestern, MB, Jr.), Lyndsay Miller ( Michigan, MB, Sr.), Jocelyn Wack ( Wisconsin , DS/Lib., Sr.)