Oct. 28, 2008
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team begins the second half of Big Ten play this weekend when it hosts No. 13 Minnesota and Iowa at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions (22-0, 10-0 Big Ten) and the Golden Gophers (18-4, 8-2 Big Ten) meet on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall before the Lions face the Hawkeyes (13-9, 5-5 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 1, also at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall.
Both matches will be streamed for free live online (with sign-in) 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. Friday night will feature a Halloween costume contest, and as a special prize, the person dressed to most resemble Nittany Lion football player A.Q. Shipley will win a pre-game sideline pass for the Penn State versus Indiana football game on Nov. 15.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with an overall record of 22-0 and a 10-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping both No. 21 Wisconsin (25-20, 25-16, 25-21) and Northwestern (25-19, 25-17, 25-14) last weekend on the road. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett leads the team with 3.94 kills per game on .405 hitting as junior outside hitter Megan Hodge provides 3.85 kills per game on .312 hitting and senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto leads the team, conference and nation in hitting with a .511 percentage with 2.62 kills per game. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.32 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse picks up 3.28 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson top the blocking charts with 1.51 and 1.32 blocks per game, respectively, as Glass chips in 1.03 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting at a nation-leading .394 clip with 14.98 kills per game, 1.38 service aces per game, 11.67 digs per game and 3.24 blocks per game, a mark that also leads the country.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers come into Friday's match with an 18-4 record and a second-place 8-2 Big Ten mark after sweeping Ohio State (25-18, 26-24, 25-21) and falling to Michigan (21-25, 21-25, 21-25) last weekend on the road. Sophomore outside hitter Brook Dieter and sophomore middle hitter Lauren Gibbemeyer lead the team with 3.78 and 3.30 kills per game, respectively, and senior setter Rachel Hartmann dishes out 11.01 assists per game. Junior libero Christine Tan leads the defense with 5.26 digs per game as Gibbemeyer also tops the blocking list with 1.47 blocks per game. As a team, Minnesota is hitting .233 with 13.69 kills per game, 1.00 service aces per game, 17.53 digs per game and 2.96 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Minnesota
Penn State leads Minnesota, 31-7, in a series that began in 1983. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-18, 25-15, 25-12) on Oct. 11 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-16, 30-25, 30-26) on Oct. 6, 2007. The Nittany Lions have claimed the last eight meetings.
Scouting Iowa
The Hawkeyes come into the weekend with a 13-9 overall record and a 5-5 mark in the Big Ten after falling at Michigan (24-26, 18-25, 23-25) and defeating Ohio State (25-23, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22) last weekend on the road. Senior outside hitter Catherine Smale and junior outside hitter Megan Schipper lead the squad with 3.32 and 3.12 kills per game, respectively, as senior setter Kiley Fister directs the offense with 9.03 assists per game. senior libero Emily Hiza tops the defense with 3.78 digs per game and senior middle hitter Laura Kremer heads the blocking list with 0.90 blocks per game. As a team, Iowa is hitting .219 with 12.71 kills per game, 1.21 service aces per game, 13.35 digs per game and 2.04 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Iowa
Penn State leads Iowa, 35-0, in a series that began in 1991. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-20, 25-18, 25-20) on Oct. 10 in Iowa City. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-23, 30-15, 30-24) on Oct. 5, 2007.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions remain at home to host Indiana for a mid-week contest on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall live on the Big Ten Network. The match will be a "Code Blue" event for students and fans are encouraged to dress in blue for a "Blue Out."
Penn State then takes to the road to face Michigan State on Friday, Nov. 7 in East Lansing, Mich., at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions remain on the road the following weekend, heading to Illinois and Purdue on Nov. 14-15 before returning home to host Northwestern and Wisconsin on Nov. 21-22 in the final regular-season contests at home before the NCAA Tournament.
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.