Aug. 26, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team opens up the 2008 slate at the Hawaiian Airlines Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii on Aug. 29-31. The Nittany Lions take on the host and No. 12-ranked Rainbow Wahine on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:00 p.m. HT (1:00 a.m. ET). Penn State will then face No. 6 UCLA on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 5:00 p.m. HT (11:00 p.m. ET) before closing out action with Ohio on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 3:00 p.m. HT (9:00 p.m. ET).
Livestats will be available for all matches via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com. All three matches will be broadcast live in the islands on KFVE-TV and will be available on the web at www.hawaiiantelmedia.com for a fee. The Penn State-Hawaii match will also be radio broadcast on the web via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions return nine letterwinners and all seven starters - including four AVCA All-Americans - from last year's 34-2 NCAA National Championship squad that finished the Big Ten season with an unblemished 20-0 record. The squad encompasses three AVCA First Team All-Americans in senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (4.44 kills per game), senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (3.10 kills per game, .492%) and junior outside hitter Megan Hodge (4.60 kills per game) along with AVCA Second Team All-American junior setter Alisha Glass (13.02 assists per game). Also returning to the squad is 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year middle hitter Arielle Wilson (2.39 kills per game, .446%), Big Ten All-Freshman team opposite Blair Brown (1.91 kills per game), senior libero and 2007 team digs leader Roberta Holehouse (3.92 digs per game), junior middle hitter Kelsey Ream and sophomore defensive specialist Alyssa D'Errico. Penn State will also gain the services of 6-5 freshman outside hitter Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.), Boston College transfer and defensive specialist Cathy Quilico (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Kishwaukee CC transfer and setter Kimi Hohl (DeKalb, Ill.), freshman defensive specialist and setter Megan Shifflett (Falls Church, Va.) and freshman defensive specialist Heather Tice (Allentown, Pa.).
For the second consecutive year, Penn State ended the season with the best cumulative hitting percentage mark in the nation. The Nittany Lions attacked at a Big Ten-record clip of .350, and over the last two seasons have accumulated a combined hitting percentage of .336. Christa Harmotto ranked second nationally and Arielle Wilson ranked fifth.
In addition, Penn State also ended the season ranked first in winning percentage (.944), second in blocks per game (3.82), ninth in kills per game (17.08) and 10th in assists (15.61). Individually, Alisha Glass ranked 24th in assists per game while Arielle Wilson (1.80) and Christa Harmotto (1.65) ranked third and sixth, respectively, in national blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Hawaii
Penn State leads Hawaii, 3-0, in a series that began in 1993. The last meeting was a five-game Nittany Lion victory (22-30, 17-30, 30-27, 30-18, 15-11) on Sept. 2, 2005 in Honolulu.
The Series: Penn State vs. UCLA
UCLA leads Penn State, 6-3, in a series that began in 1983. The last meeting was a three-game Bruin victory (30-11, 30-28, 30-18) in the NCAA Second Round at Rec Hall on Dec. 1, 2001. The last Nittany Lion victory was a three-game win (15-11, 15-9, 15-5) in the NCAA Regional Final at Rec Hall on Dec. 10, 1999.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio
This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Ohio in the sport of women's volleyball.
Last Time Out
Penn State defeated Stanford in five games (30-25, 30-26, 23-30, 19-30, 15-8) to capture the NCAA National Championship title on Dec. 15, 2007 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Megan Hodge, named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship, set a new season high with 26 kills and three other Lions also added in double-digit kills, including Nicole Fawcett (19), Christa Harmotto (13) and Arielle Wilson (12). Alisha Glass directed the offense to a .317 hitting percentage while recording a season-best seven kills and 65 assists. Roberta Holehouse led five Lions in double-digit digs with 17 as Kate Price closed out her Penn State career with 15 and Alyssa D'Errico set a new personal best with 12. Playing in her first NCAA Tournament, Wilson led the squad with five blocks.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home to host the Nittany Lion Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5-6 at Rec Hall. Penn State opens up its home season on Friday against Long Island at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions then host George Washington at noon on Saturday before closing out the tournament with Villanova at 8:00 p.m.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.