Sept. 4, 2008
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team opens up its 2008 home slate this weekend at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions face Long Island on Friday, Sept. 5 at 7:00 p.m. after George Washington and Villanova square off at 4:00 p.m. Penn State opens action on Saturday, Sept. 6 with George Washington at noon before Villanova and Long Island meet at 3:00 p.m. Penn State will close out action in the Nittany Lion Invitational with Villanova at 8:00 p.m.
Gametracker will be available for all matches at www.GoPSUsports.com, and the Penn State-Long Island and Penn State-Villanova 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 Penn State-Long Island and George Washington-Villanova matches. Saturday tickets are good for all three 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 3-0 record after sweeping then-No. 12 Hawaii, No. 6 UCLA and Ohio last weekend at the Hawaiian Airlines Classic in Honolulu. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament while senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto and junior outside hitter Megan Hodge joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Fawcett leads the squad with 4.33 kills per game, Hodge posts 3.89 kills per game and Harmotto chips in 3.00 kills per game on .489 hitting. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 13.11 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse anchors the defense with 4.44 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson lead the blocking list with 1.22 and 0.67 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting .332 with 14.78 kills per game, 0.67 service aces per game, 14.67 digs per game and 2.17 blocks per game.
Scouting Long Island
The Blackbirds will play their opening contest of the season against Penn State on Friday. They achieved a 23-14 record a year ago and finished first in the Northeast Conference with an 8-0 record to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The squad returns three starters and seven letterwinners from last season and also gains a new head coach in Kyle Robinson.
The Series: Penn State vs. Long Island
Penn State leads Long Island, 2-0, in a series that began in 2005. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-16, 30-27, 30-15) on Dec. 1, 2006, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rec Hall.
Scouting George Washington
The Colonials come into the weekend with a 2-1 record after defeating American and George Mason while falling in three games to Georgetown. Sophomore outside hitter Leah Hill leads the squad with 2.92 kills per game while freshman middle hitter MacKenzie Knox and senior outside hitter Liz Moult chip in 2.08 and 2.36 kills per game, respectively. Freshman setter Alyssa Valentine leads the offense with 9.17 assists per game and senior libero Maggie Wright tops the defense with 3.58 digs per game as Knox heads the blocking list with 1.17 blocks per game. As a team, George Washington is hitting .165 with 8.93 kills per game, 0.87 service aces per game, 10.07 digs per game and 1.77 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. George Washington
Penn State leads George Washington, 19-2, in a series that began in 1977. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (15-3, 15-3, 15-6) on Sept. 20, 1991 at Rec Hall.
Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 1-1 record after splitting with Northern Colorado and Lafayette last weekend. Senior outside hitter Dana Tartazky leads the offense with 2.88 kills per game while freshman outside hitter Morgan Petkovich and freshman middle hitter Maggie Mergen chip in 2.57 and 2.38 kills per game, respectively. Junior setter Chelsea Graman dishes out 7.71 assists per game as junior outside hitter Amy Gulyas picks up an average of 3.38 digs per game. Mergen leads the squad with three total blocks. As a team, Villanova is hitting .134 with 10.38 kills per game, 2.00 service aces per game, 12.12 digs per game and 0.75 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Villanova
Penn State leads Villanova, 11-0, in a series that began in 1985. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-10, 30-27, 30-20) on Sept. 13, 2002, at Rec Hall.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions travel to the Midwest for the Chicago Challenge hosted by Illinois-Chicago at Mother McAuley High School. Penn State will face the Flames on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. CT before squaring off with Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2:00 p.m. CT. The Nittany Lions will finish the tournament with Louisville on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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.