Sept. 10, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team heads to the Windy City this weekend for the Chicago Classic, to be held at Mother McAuley High School. The Nittany Lions take on Illinois-Chicago on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. CT before facing Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2:00 p.m. CT. Penn State will meet Louisville on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT to close out action in the tournament. Gametracker will be available via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com for all matches.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 6-0 mark after sweeping Long Island, George Washington and Villanova last weekend at home to remain undefeated in matches and in individual sets. Outside hitters Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) and Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) lead the squad with 3.88 and 3.47 kills per game, respectively, as senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) posts 2.53 kills per game on a Big Ten-leading .493 hitting percentage. Junior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) directs the offense with 12.50 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse (Joppa, Md.) leads the defense with 4.11 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.), last weekend's MVP, head the blocking chart with 1.41 and 1.28 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting .342 with 14.44 kills per game, 1.06 service aces per game, 13.39 digs per game and 3.00 blocks per game while holding opponents to hitting .038.
Scouting Illinois-Chicago
The Flames enter the weekend with a 3-3 record after sweeping Chicago State on Tuesday in their home opener. Junior middle hitter Lana Lobdell and junior outside hitter Katerina Hanackova lead the team with 55 and 49 total kills, respectively, while sophomore setter Dana Van Syckle directs the offense with 8.29 assists per game. Sophomore libero Taylor Szatkowski tops the defense with 3.43 digs per game as sophomore middle hitter Epiphany Davis heads the blocking list with 19 total blocks. As a team, UIC is hitting .194 with 11.76 kills per game, 1.48 service aces per game, 16.00 digs per game and 1.67 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Illinois-Chicago
Penn State leads Illinois-Chicago, 4-0, in a series that began in 1982. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (15-4, 15-1, 15-1) on Sept. 4, 1998 in University Park, Pa. The last meeting in Chicago was a three-game Penn State victory (15-8, 15-9, 15-4) on Nov. 10, 1988.
Scouting Illinois State
The Redbirds enter the weekend with a 4-3 overall record after defeating Western Carolina and Oakland and falling to Western Michigan last weekend at home. Sophomore outside hitter Mallory Leggett and junior outside hitter Peggy Riessen lead the squad with 3.84 and 3.71 kills per game, respectively, as senior setter Erin Lindsey dishes out 10.65 assists per game. Junior libero Kasey Mollerus tops the defense with 3.60 digs per game while sophomore middle hitter Hailey Kelley and sophomore outside hitter Katie Culbertson lead the blocking chart with 18 and 17 total blocks, respectively. As a team, Illinois State is hitting .204 with 13.68 kills per game, 1.08 service aces per game, 16.16 digs per game and 2.12 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Illinois State
Penn State trails Illinois State, 2-1, in a series that began in 1981. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (15-7, 15-4, 17-15) on Oct. 16, 1993.
Scouting Louisville
The Cardinals come into the weekend with a 2-2 record after defeating Wake Forest and falling to Valparaiso and Indiana last weekend in Bloomington, Ind. Junior outside hitter Justine Landi leads the team with 3.35 kills per game as senior outside hitter Tatyana Kolesnikova chips in 2.82 kills per game. Freshman setter Renee Tomko directs the offense with 8.47 assists per game while sophomore libero Lindsey Mango provides a team-high 3.69 digs per game. Freshman middle hitter Gwen Rucker and junior middle hitter Lecia Brown both have recorded a team-high 26 total blocks so far this season. As a team, Louisville is hitting .261 with 11.82 kills per game, 1.12 service aces per game, 12.29 digs per game and 3.29 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Louisville
Penn State leads Louisville, 4-1, in a series that began in 1982. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (15-5, 15-8, 15-2) on Dec. 11, 1998 in University Park, Pa., in the NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home to host their final preseason tournament on Sept. 19-20 at Rec Hall. On Friday, New Hampshire and Saint Louis square off at 4pm before Penn State faces Yale at 7 pm. On Saturday, Penn State meets up with New Hampshire at 10am, Saint Louis and Yale meet at 1pm, Yale and New Hampshire face off at 4pm before Penn State and Saint Louis square off at 7pm.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2008 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.