Sept. 17, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (9-0) hosts its final preseason tournament this weekend at Rec Hall, welcoming Yale, New Hampshire and Saint Louis to town for the Hampton Inn Penn State Classic. On Friday, Sept. 19, the Wildcats and Billikens square off at 4:00 p.m. before the Nittany Lions face the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Penn State opens up action on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10:00 a.m. with New Hampshire, Saint Louis and Yale meet at 1:00 p.m. and Yale and New Hampshire square off at 4:00 p.m. before Penn State battles Saint Louis at 7:00 p.m.
Gametracker will be available for all matches at www.GoPSUsports.com, and the Penn State-Yale and Penn State-Saint Louis matches will be streamed live online.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and $2 per person for groups of 10 or more. Friday tickets are valid for both the New Hampshire-Saint Louis and Penn State-Yale matches. Saturday tickets are good for all four matches on the schedule. One spirited fan will win a $20 gift certificate courtesy of the Student Book Store and one lucky row at each home match will win a prize certificate courtesy of The Family Clothesline.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 9-0 record after sweeping Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State and Louisville last weekend at the Chicago Classic. Junior outside hitter Megan Hodge and senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett lead the team with 3.96 and 3.81 kills per game as senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto chips in 2.69 kills per game on a Big Ten-leading .536 hitting percentage. Junior setter Alisha Glass sits atop the conference with 12.63 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse leads the squad with 3.70 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson head the blocking list with 1.19 and 1.07 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting .364 while holding its opponents to .076, and averaging 14.96 kills per game, 1.33 service aces per game, 12.89 digs per game and 2.59 blocks per game.
Scouting Yale
The Bulldogs come into the tournament with a 3-0 record after defeating Boston College, Colgate and Hofstra last weekend. Junior outside hitter Cat Dailey, a transfer from Cal, leads the squad with 4.33 kills per game as junior outside hitter Alexis Crusey chips in 3.89 kills per game. Senior setter Ally Mendenhall directs the offense with 11.11 assists per game and also tops the defense with 3.67 digs per game. Dailey and senior middle hitter Kristen Wilk have both tallied nine blocks for the Bulldogs. As a team, Yale is hitting .293 with 13.78 kills per game, 2.22 service aces per game, 15.44 digs per game and 2.22 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Yale
Penn State leads Yale, 5-0, in a series that began in 1978. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-14, 30-14,30-20) on Sept. 14, 2007 in New Haven, Conn. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-16, 30-14, 30-11) on Sept. 18, 2004. Also returning to Rec Hall will be Yale head coach Erin Appleman, who was PSU's assistant for the 1999 NCAA title.
Scouting New Hampshire
The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 3-8 record after defeating Dartmouth (25-20, 25-23, 28-26) Tuesday night. Junior outside hitter Kirsten Bates leads the squad with 3.50 kills per game as freshman middle hitter Pauline Acres chips in 2.12 kills per game. Sophomore setter Sara Heldman has directed the offense in the last four matches and is averaging 7.27 assists per game while junior libero Alyse Lahti tops the defense with 4.46 digs per game. Both sophomore middle hitter Justine Elliott and junior middle hitter Lindsay Fogarty have tallied 38 total blocks for the squad. As a team, New Hampshire is hitting .146 with 1.69 kills per game, 1.38 service aces per game, 14.90 digs per game and 1.86 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. New Hampshire
Penn State leads New Hampshire, 2-0, in a series that began in 1983. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-22, 30-18, 30-20) on Sept. 6, 2002 in Fairfield, Conn.
Scouting Saint Louis
The Billikens come into the weekend with a 6-3 record after falling to Purdue and Utah before defeating Utah State last weekend, and having defeated Stanford in four games on Sept. 6. Junior outside hitters Sammi McCloud and Bridget Fonke both lead the team with 3.36 kills per game as sophomore outside hitter Megan Boken contributes 2.94 kills per game. Junior setter Whitney Roth dishes out 11.55 assists per game and junior libero Whitney Behrens picks up a team-high 3.67 digs per game. Junior middle hitter Sally Warning heads the blocking list with 1.06 blocks per game. As a team, Saint Louis is hitting .201 with 13.88 kills per game, 1.36 service aces per game, 14.39 digs per game and 79 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Saint Louis
This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Saint Louis in the sport of women's volleyball.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions remain at home to host their Big Ten opener against Purdue on Friday, Sept. 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. Prior to the match, Penn State's 2007 NCAA National Championship banner will be raised and following the match will be a football pep rally. The Nittany Lions then host Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 3:00 p.m., in a match that was moved in time to accommodate the Penn State-Illinois football game across campus that night at 8:00 p.m.
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.