Oct. 14, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team hosts No. 22 Michigan and Ohio State at Rec Hall for Homecoming weekend. The Nittany Lions and Wolverines square off on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8:00 p.m. at Rec Hall following the conclusion of the Homecoming parade. On Saturday, Oct. 18, the Lions and Buckeyes meet at Rec Hall at 8:30 p.m., following the 4:30 p.m. Penn State-Michigan football game across campus at Beaver Stadium.
Both matches will be streamed live online and have Gametracker at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Tickets will be on sale at the door and are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and $2 per person for groups of 10 or more. Penn State students are free with their PSU ID. The first 250 fans on Friday night will receive pink and black "throwback" t-shirts and during intermission between games two and three, the defending national champion Penn State men's volleyball team will receive their NCAA title rings in a ceremony, with autographs following. Both nights there will be a silent auction of signed items, with the proceeds going towards "Dig Pink" for breast cancer awareness.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with an 18-0 overall record after sweeping Iowa (25-20, 25-18, 25-20) and No. 12 Minnesota (25-18, 25-15, 25-12) last weekend on the road to remain unbeaten in both matches and individual games. Junior outside hitter Megan Hodge leads the team with 3.96 kills per game as senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett chips in 3.83 kills per game on .402 hitting, a mark that places her 18th in the country. Senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto sits atop the hitting percentage chart with a .516 attack percentage with an average of 2.63 kills per game. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with a nation-leading 12.52 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse tops the defense with 3.42 digs per game. Harmotto heads the blocking list with 1.45 blocks per game as sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson, the defending Big Ten Player of the Week, chips in 1.28 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is leading the nation with a .401 hitting percentage while holding its opponents to attacking at a .068 clip, and is averaging a country-best 15.15 kills per game along with 1.41 service aces per game, 12.07 digs per game and a nation-best 3.12 blocks per game.
Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines come into Friday's match with a 15-3 overall record and a 3-3 Big Ten mark after defeating Purdue in four games (22-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-21) and falling to Illinois in three games (19-25, 17-25, 20-25). Junior outside hitter Juliana Paz and senior middle hitter Beth Karpiak lead the squad with 3.35 and 3.03 kills per game, respectively, as freshman opposite Alex Hunt chips in 2.67 kills per game. Sophomore setter Lexi Zimmerman directs the offense with 11.45 assists per game and tops the defensive charts with 2.92 digs per game as senior defensive specialist Kerry Hance adds in 2.85 digs per game. Karpiak tops the blocking list with 51 total blocks, an average of 0.82 blocks per game, as redshirt freshman middle hitter Karlee Bruck adds in 0.85 blocks per game. As a team, Michigan is hitting .278 with 14.63 kills per game, 1.63 service aces per game, 14.32 digs per game and 2.02 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan
Penn State leads Michigan, 34-3, in a series that began in 1981. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-15, 30-18, 30-18) in the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Dec. 7, 2007 at Rec Hall. The last regular-season meeting was a four-game Penn State win (30-21, 30-22, 30-32, 30-21) on Nov. 24, 2007 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The last regular-season meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Lion victory (30-16, 30-28, 30-22) on Oct. 12, 2007.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes come into the weekend with a 10-8 record and a 1-5 conference mark after falling to Illinois (17-25, 23-25, 16-25) and Purdue (25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 18-25) last weekend at home. Junior outside hitter Anna Szerszen and sophomore outside hitter Katie Dull lead the squad with 3.52 and 3.25 kills per game, respectively. Junior setter Ashley Hughes directed the offense for both matches last weekend and for the year is averaging 7.81 assists per game, as three players average more than two digs per game, led by sophomore Kaila Calhoun with 2.92. Junior middle hitter Kristen Dozier and freshman middle hitter Kelli Barhorst lead the team with 58 and 50 total blocks, respectively. As a team, Ohio State is hitting .222 with 12.90 kills per game, 1.24 service aces per game, 12.51 digs per game and 2.74 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads Ohio State, 30-14, in a series that began in 1981. The last meeting was a three-game Lion win (30-22, 30-21, 30-21) on Nov. 21, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State victory (30-23, 30-17, 30-16) on Oct. 10, 2007.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions take to the road to face No. 19 Wisconsin and Northwestern next weekend. Penn State will meet the Badgers on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET) in a match that will be tape-delay broadcast on ESPN2 on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Lions then head to Evanston, Ill., for a Saturday, Oct. 25 contest with the Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET). Penn State returns home to host Minnesota and Iowa on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Rec Hall.
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.