Nov. 11, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team travels to No. 17 Illinois and No. 18 Purdue this weekend. The Nittany Lions and Fighting Illini square off on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:00 p.m. CT in Champaign, Ill., before the Lions take on the Boilermakers on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET in West Lafayette, Ind.
Gametracker will be available for both matches via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com and the Penn State-Purdue match will be televised on the Big Ten Network on a tape-delay basis on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The Nittany Lions are currently tied with Southern California for the NCAA record for consecutive matches won at 52. Penn State also holds a four-match lead over Illinois and Minnesota heading into the weekend, with six matches left to play in the conference season.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 26-0 overall record and a 14-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping Indiana (25-13, 25-14, 25-22) and Michigan State (25-20, 25-11, 25-18) last week. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett leads the squad with 3.91 kills per game on .407 hitting as junior outside hitter Megan Hodge chips in 3.87 kills per game on .321 hitting and senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto posts 2.59 kills per game while leading the nation with .529 hitting. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.36 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse leads the defense with 3.38 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson top the blocking list with 1.48 and 1.37 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is leading the country in hitting percentage at .395 while averaging 14.94 kills per game, 1.40 service aces per game, 11.86 digs per game and 3.26 blocks per game.
Scouting Illinois
The Fighting Illini come into Friday's match with a 19-6 record and a 10-4 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Iowa (20-25, 25-11, 25-23, 25-22) and falling to Minnesota (20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21,10-15) last weekend on the road. Sophomore outside hitter Laura DeBruler leads the team and the Big Ten with 4.65 kills per game as junior outside hitter Kylie McCulley and freshman outside hitter Michelle Bartsch chip in 2.95 and 2.43 kills per game, respectively. Sophomore Hillary Haen and senior Lizzie Bazzetta direct the 6-2 offense with 6.73 and 5.12 assists per game and junior libero Ashley Edinger leads the defense with 4.49 digs per game. Sophomore middle hitter Johannah Bangert heads the blocking list with 1.57 blocks per game to also lead the conference and the nation. As a team, Illinois is hitting .230 with 13.71 kills per game, 0.97 service aces per game, 15.92 digs per game and 2.70 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Illinois
Penn State leads Illinois, 33-6, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-16, 25-19, 25-12) on Sept. 27 at Rec Hall. The last meeting at Huff Hall was a five-game Penn State win (30-28, 30-25, 19-30, 28-30, 15-10) on Oct. 19, 2007. The Nittany Lions have claimed the last 10 meetings between the schools.
Scouting Purdue
The Boilermakers enter the weekend with a 20-6 record and a 9-5 mark in the Big Ten after falling at Minnesota (21-25, 21-25, 15-25) and defeating Iowa (27-25, 25-23, 25-16) last weekend on the road. Senior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch and senior outside hitter Danita Merlau lead the team with 3.66 and 3.15 kills per game, respectively. Sophomore setter Jaclyn Hart directs the offense with 9.97 assists per game and senior libero Kelli Miller tops the defense with 4.30 digs per game. Lynch also heads the blocking chart with 1.31 blocks per game as sophomore middle hitter Kristen Arthurs chips in 0.93 blocks per game. As a team, Purdue is hitting .238 with 12.79 kills per game, 0.93 service aces per game, 13.53 digs per game and 2.60 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Purdue
Penn State leads Purdue, 40-5, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-12, 25-15, 25-21) on Sept. 26 to open the Big Ten season at Rec Hall. The last meeting at the IAF was a three-game Penn State win (30-18, 30-20, 38-36) on Sept. 29, 2007.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home for their final regular-season weekend when they host Northwestern and Wisconsin on Nov. 21-22. Penn State and Northwestern will meet on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall while the contest with the Badgers is slated for Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8:00 p.m. The Penn State-Wisconsin match will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The contest with Wisconsin will also be Senior Night at Rec Hall, as Penn State will honor Nicole Fawcett, Christa Harmotto and Roberta Holehouse prior to the contest for their contributions to Penn State and the women's volleyball program.
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.