Nov. 22, 2008
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team captured a three-game win over Wisconsin (25-21, 25-13, 25-17) Saturday night at Rec Hall in front of 3,012 fans. The Nittany Lions improve to 30-0 and 18-0 in the Big Ten while the Badgers fall to 17-13 and 7-11 in the league. The match will air on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
It is Penn State's fourth consecutive 30-win season and the 21st time the Lions have reached the mark under head coach Russ Rose. The Penn State record for wins in a season is 44, which both the 1981 and 1990 squads accomplished.
"I thought Arielle (Wilson) played really well tonight, I thought Megan (Hodge) hit well and Alyssa (D'Errico) did well at libero," said Rose. "Wisconsin was missing their top player (Dolgner) and she is one of those individuals who makes everyone around her better."
Junior outside hitter Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led all players with 16 kills on .577 hitting as sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) connected on 11 of her 14 errorless swings to hit .786. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) pounded 10 kills on .400 hitting as senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) notched six kills on .444 hitting. As a team, Penn State attacked at a .440 clip, its 11th conference contest of hitting .400 or better.
Junior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 35 assists as Hodge led the defense with a match-high nine digs and sophomore Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) picked up eight digs. Fawcett and sophomore Cathy Quilico (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) both added in four digs as Penn State outdug Wisconsin, 35-29.
The Nittany Lions also claimed the blocking battle, 11.0 to 3.0. Harmotto led the way with eight, one shy of her season high, as Glass tallied five stuffs and Wilson posted two.
The first game remained close throughout, with kills from Wilson and sophomore opposite Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) giving Penn State the 15-13 lead heading into the media timeout. Lion put-aways from Hodge and Harmotto pushed Penn State up 19-16 and a Wilson and Brown block made it 22-18. The teams traded kills twice before a Hodge kill ended the game, 25-21. Wilson collected six kills on nine errorless swings as Hodge picked up six digs.
Four consecutive Penn State kills put the Nittany Lions up 12-7 in the second game before a Fawcett kill and three Wisconsin hitting errors pushed the score to 18-10. Three Hodge kills extended the lead to 21-12 before three Badger errors and a Hodge kill ended the game, 25-13. Hodge picked up six kills in the game as D'Errico led the defense with six digs and Harmotto posted four blocks.
Penn State took the 11-8 lead in the third stanza on a Fawcett kill before a Harmotto and Hodge block put the Lions up 15-12. An ace from Quilico and a Harmotto kill moved the score to 19-15 before a Harmotto and Glass block, a Fawcett kill and an ace from junior Kimi Hohl (DeKalb, Ill.) extended the lead to 23-16. Two Fawcett kills ended the game, 25-17. Hodge was perfect on all six of her swings as Fawcett added in four kills.
Penn State takes to the road for the final regular-season weekend, visiting Ohio State and Michigan on Friday and Saturday, No. 28-29. The contest with the Wolverines will air live on the Big Ten Network on Saturday, Nov. 29 beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The NCAA selection show will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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.