Nov. 4, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team hosts Indiana on Wednesday at Rec Hall for a 7:00 p.m. ET contest live on the Big Ten Network. Gametracker will also be available 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. The match will be a "Code Blue" event for students, with the chance to win a sideline pass for the Michigan State football game and also a car, along with several other items.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter Wednesday's match with a 24-0 overall record and a Big Ten-leading 12-0 league mark after sweeping both No. 13 Minnesota (25-19, 25-17, 25-17) and Iowa (25-16, 25-13, 25-15) last weekend at home. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett leads the squad with 3.99 kills per game on .411 hitting as junior outside hitter Megan Hodge posts 3.86 kills per game and senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto chips in 2.58 kills per game on .517 hitting. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.40 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse leads the defense with 3.39 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson top the blocking list with 1.52 and 1.32 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is leading the nation with a .395 hitting percentage while also averaging 15.04 kills per game, 1.40 service aces per game, 11.93 digs per game and 3.22 blocks per game.
Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers come into Wednesday's match with a 14-10 overall record and a 6-6 Big Ten mark after defeating both Iowa and No. 13 Minnesota in five games last weekend at home. Senior middle hitter Erica Short leads the team and the Big Ten with 4.79 kills per game as sophomore middle hitter Ashley Benson chips in 3.15 kills per game. The team runs a 6-2 offense with freshman Mary Chaudoin dishing out 6.03 assists per game and sophomore Hayley Koetter providing 5.52 assists per game. Freshman libero Caitlin Cox tops the defense with 3.38 digs per game while Benson heads the blocking list with 1.51 blocks per game. As a team, Indiana is hitting .224 with 13.66 kills per game, 0.86 service aces per game, 13.92 digs per game and 2.71 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Indiana
Penn State leads Indiana, 37-0, in a series that began in 1982. The previous meeting this season with a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-17, 25-18, 25-19) on Oct. 1 in Bloomington, Ind. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-14, 30-16, 30-23) on Nov. 3, 2007.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions head to Michigan State to close out the week on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET. Penn State then remains on the road, traveling to Illinois and Purdue the weekend of Nov. 14-15, before returning home to host Northwestern and Wisconsin for its final regular-season home weekend on Nov. 21-22 at Rec Hall.
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.