Oct. 8, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team travels to Iowa and No. 12 Minnesota this weekend for two more Big Ten contests. The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes meet on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET) before the Lions head north to take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 6:00 p.m. CT (7:00 p.m. ET) on a one-hour delay on the Big Ten Network from Williams Arena (to be aired at 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET).
Links to Gametracker and livestats will be available on www.GoPSUsports.com.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 16-0 record and a 4-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping Indiana (25-17, 25-18, 25-19) and Michigan State (25-11, 25-19, 25-14) last week. Senior outside hitter and Big Ten Player of the Week Nicole Fawcett and junior outside hitter Megan Hodge lead the squad with 3.89 kills per game as senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto chips in 2.64 kills per game on a nation-leading .528 hitting. Junior setter Alisha Glass leads the country with 12.48 assists per game and sophomore Alyssa D'Errico picked up 3.67 digs per game last week at libero. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson lead the blocking list with 1.33 and 1.19 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is leading the country with a .403 hitting percentage while holding its opponents to hitting .074, averaging 15.15 kills per game, 1.48 service aces per game, 12.12 digs per game and 2.86 blocks per game.
Scouting Iowa
The Hawkeyes come into Friday's match with a 10-6 overall record and an even 2-2 mark in the Big Ten after falling at Purdue (22-25, 23-25, 22-25) and Illinois (23-25, 17-25, 25-19, 15-25) last weekend. Senior outside hitter Catherine Smale and junior outside hitter Megan Schipper lead the offense with 3.50 and 3.25 kills per game, respectively as senior middle hitter Laura Kremer and sophomore opposite Aimee Huffman chip in 2.09 and 2.04 kills per game. Senior setter Kiley Fister directs the offense with 9.52 assists per game and senior libero Emily Hiza leads the defense with 3.76 digs per game. Kremer and sophomore middle hitter Katie Kennedy head the blocking list with 0.89 and 0.88 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Iowa is hitting .246 with 13.16 kills per game, 1.30 service aces per game, 13.20 digs per game and 1.97 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Iowa
Penn State leads Iowa, 34-0, in a series that began in 1991. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-15, 30-23, 30-25) on Oct. 27, 2007 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers come into the weekend as the only other undefeated Big Ten team at 4-0 in league play, also holding an overall record of 14-2 after outlasting Illinois in five games (25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-8) and sweeping Purdue (25-14, 25-16, 25-19) last weekend on the road. Sophomore outside hitter Brook Dieter and sophomore middle hitter Lauren Gibbemeyer lead the squad with 3.40 and 3.34 kills per game, respectively, and senior setter Rachel Hartmann directs the offense with 11.18 assists per game. Four-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week junior libero Christine Tan leads the defense with 5.50 digs per game while Gibbemeyer commands the blocking list with 1.59 blocks per game, good for second in the conference.
The Series: Penn State vs. Minnesota
Penn State leads Minnesota, 30-7, in a series that began in 1983. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-21, 30-25, 30-15) on Oct. 26, 2007 in Minneapolis, Minn. Penn State has claimed the last seven meetings between the two schools.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home to host Michigan and Ohio State on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, which is also Homecoming Weekend. Penn State will face the Wolverines on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET before taking on the Buckeyes at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Homecoming parade will take place before Friday night's match and the Penn State-Michigan is slated for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. across campus at Beaver Stadium.
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.