Nov. 19, 2008
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team hosts its finals regular-season matches at Rec Hall and enters the weekend needing just one win to clinch its sixth consecutive outright Big Ten Championship.
The Nittany Lions play host to Northwestern on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall and following the conclusion of the match, a football pep rally will be held at Rec Hall to cheer the Penn State football team on in their Big Ten title quest against Michigan State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Saturday's women's volleyball match pits Penn State against Wisconsin beginning at 8:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. Prior to the match, seniors Nicole Fawcett, Christa Harmotto and Roberta Holehouse will be honored for their contributions to Penn State and the women's volleyball program. The match will air on a tape-delay basis on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Tickets for both matches 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. Tickets will be sold each night until Rec Hall reaches capacity.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 28-0 overall record and a 16-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping No. 17 Illinois (25-23, 25-17, 25-13) and No. 18 Purdue (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) last weekend on the road to set a new NCAA record for consecutive matches won and to also clinch at least a share of their sixth straight Big Ten title. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett and junior outside hitter Megan Hodge lead the team with 3.90 and 3.94 kills per game, respectively, as senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto chips in 2.54 kills per game on a nation-leading .526 hitting percentage. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.44 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse tops the defense with 3.33 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson lead the blocking list with 1.46 and 1.43 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting a nation-best .396 with 15.05 kills per game, 1.33 service aces per game, 11.93 digs per game and 3.29 blocks per game, which is also tops in the country.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats come into Friday's match with an 8-19 record and a 2-14 mark in the Big Ten after falling in five to Iowa (20-25, 25-22, 25-11, 22-25, 13-15) and in three to Minnesota (15-25, 20-25, 12-25) last weekend at home. Senior middle hitter Chelsy Hyser, sophomore outside hitter Brittani Gray and sophomore middle hitter Sabel Moffett lead the squad with 2.62, 2.55 and 2.49 kills per game, respectively. Sophomore setter Elyse Glab directs the offense with 9.86 assists per game and junior libero Kate Nobilio tops the defense with 4.72 digs per game. Moffett heads the blocking chart with 1.02 blocks per game. As a team, Northwestern is hitting .183 with 12.59 kills per game, 0.95 service aces per game, 13.34 digs per game and 2.17 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Northwestern
Penn State leads Northwestern, 35-8, in a series that began in 1981. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-19, 25-17, 25-14) on Oct. 25 in Evanston, Ill. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (31-29, 30-23, 30-13) on Sept. 22, 2007. The Nittany Lions have claimed the last 11 meetings between the two schools.
Scouting Wisconsin
The Badgers enter the weekend with a 17-11 overall record and a 7-9 mark in the Big Ten after falling in five to Minnesota (25-18, 18-25, 27-25, 29-31, 17-19) and defeating Iowa (25-16, 25-23, 25-16) last weekend at home. Junior outside hitter Brittney Dolgner leads the team with 3.45 kills per game as senior middle and opposite hitter Audra Jeffers chips in 2.42 kills per game on .299 hitting. The Badgers run a 6-2 offense with junior Nikki Klingsporn providing 6.46 assists per game and freshman Janelle Gabrielsen contributing 5.24 assists per game. Sophomore libero Kim Kuzma leads the defense with 4.32 digs per game as Jeffers tops the blocking list with 1.09 blocks per game. As a team, Wisconsin is hitting .232 with 13.77 kills per game, 0.97 service aces per game, 13.59 digs per game and 2.54 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Wisconsin
Penn State leads Wisconsin, 32-6, in a series that began in 1986. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-20, 25-16, 25-21) on Oct. 24 in Madison, Wis. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a four-game Penn State win (30-28, 30-22, 24-30, 30-25) on Oct. 21, 2007. The Nittany Lions have claimed nine of the last 10 meetings between the two schools.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions hit the road for their final Big Ten weekend when they face Ohio State and Michigan on Nov. 28 and 29. Penn State will square off with the Buckeyes on Friday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 p.m. ET before the Lions travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to meet up with the Wolverines on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6:00 p.m. ET in a contest that will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
The NCAA Championship selection show is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 30 at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews. The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament are scheduled for Dec. 5-6 at campus sites to be announced on the selection show. Penn State will host NCAA Regionals on Dec. 12-13 and the NCAA Championship will be Dec. 18 & 20 in Omaha, Neb. at the Qwest Center.
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.