Oct. 3, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team hosts Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:00 p.m. The match will be the first annual "Dig Pink" match for breast cancer awareness, with proceeds donated to the Side-Out Foundation. The match will also be televised to a live national audience on the Big Ten Network and Gametracker will be available for the match 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. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and donations will be accepted throughout the match. There will also be a silent auction with signed memorabilia from the Nittany Lion squad, with all proceeds going to breast cancer research. Fans can also donate by clicking HERE!
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter Saturday's match with a 15-0 record and a 3-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping Indiana on Wednesday night in Bloomington (25-17, 25-18, 25-19). Junior outside hitter Megan Hodge and senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett lead the squad with 3.93 and 3.84 kills per game, respectively, as senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto chips in 2.69 kills per game on a nation-leading .538 hitting percentage. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.53 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse tops the defense with 3.38 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson head the blocking list with 1.29 and 1.22 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting .402 - the best mark in the country - while holding its opponents to hitting .079, and is averaging 15.11 kills per game, 1.53 service aces per game, 12.13 digs per game and 2.86 blocks per game.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans enter the weekend with a 10-3 record and a 2-0 conference mark prior to their match at Indiana on Friday night. Last weekend they defeated both Ohio State and Michigan in four games apiece. Their leading attacker, sophomore Jenilee Rathje (3.93 kills per game), is out for the season with a knee injury. Junior middle hitter Vanessa King and freshman outside hitter Becca Zlabis top the offense with 2.98 and 2.40 kills per game, respectively, as five other Spartan players are averaging more than one kill a game. Freshman setter Natalie Emro directs the offense with 10.75 assists per game and sophomore libero Allyson Karaba tops the defense with 4.08 digs per game as King leads the blocking list with 1.31 blocks per game. As a team, Michigan State is hitting .263 with 14.67 kills per game, 1.10 service aces per game, 13.50 digs per game and 2.30 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan State
Penn State leads Michigan State, 29-6, in a series that began in 1985. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-27, 30-21, 30-24) on Nov. 10, 2007 in East Lansing, Mich. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-13, 30-17, 30-17) on Sept. 21, 2007. The Nittany Lions have claimed the last 10 meetings in the series, dating back to a five-game Spartan win on Nov. 1, 2002. The last Spartan win in Happy Valley was in four games on Nov. 17, 2001.
Digging Pink
Saturday's match will be the first annual "Dig Pink" match for breast cancer awareness. The Nittany Lions teamed up with the Side-Out Foundation to raise funds for the fight against cancer. The proceeds from all donations benefit the Side-Out Foundation, a national 501 (c)(3) located in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Funds (which are 100% tax deductible) are currently devoted to targeted therapies and molecular profiling, which is where there have been breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment. Visit the Side-Out Foundation website at http://www.side-out.org for more information.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions hit the road, traveling to Iowa and Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11. Penn State meets up with the Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT before the Lions face the Golden Gophers at Williams Arena on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. CT in a match that will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State returns home to host Michigan and Ohio State on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18 at Rec Hall, which is also Homecoming weekend in Happy Valley.
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.