Nov. 6, 2008
University Park, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team travels to Michigan State to complete its play for the week, taking on the Spartans on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET in East Lansing, Mich. Gametracker will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter Friday's match with an overall record of 25-0 and a 13-0 mark in the Big Ten after sweeping Indiana (25-13, 25-14, 25-22) Wednesday night in the mid-week match at Rec Hall. Senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett leads the team with 3.93 kills per game on .405 hitting as junior outside hitter Megan Hodge chips in 3.82 kills per game and senior middle hitter Christa Harmotto posts 2.61 kills per game on .526 hitting. Junior setter Alisha Glass directs the offense with 12.32 assists per game and senior libero Roberta Holehouse leads the defense with 3.36 digs per game. Harmotto tops the blocking list with 1.50 blocks per game as sophomore middle hitter Arielle Wilson chips in 1.39 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is leading the nation with a .392 hitting percentage while averaging 14.92 kills per game, 1.40 service aces per game, 11.95 digs per game and 3.27 blocks per game.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans come into the weekend with a 12-11 record and a 4-8 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Wisconsin in five games (26-24, 23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 15-7) before falling to Northwestern (18-25, 24-26, 23-25) last weekend on the road. Junior middle hitter Vanessa King and freshman outside hitter Becca Zlabis leads the team with 2.92 and 2.31 kills per game as freshman outside hitter Kyndra Abron chips in 2.27 kills per game. Freshman setter Natalie Emro dishes out 10.37 assists per game and sophomore libero Allyson Karaba leads the defense with 4.33 digs per game. King also heads the blocking chart with 1.21 blocks per game. As a team, Michigan State is hitting .217 with 13.55 kills per game, 0.90 service aces per game, 13.20 digs per game and 2.22 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan State
Penn State leads Michigan State, 30-6, in a series that began in 1985. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (25-11, 25-19, 25-14) on Oct. 4 at Rec Hall. The last meeting in East Lansing was a three-game Penn State win (30-27, 30-21,30-24) on Nov. 10, 2007.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions remain on the road, traveling to Illinois and Purdue on Nov. 14 and 15. Penn State returns home for its final regular-season matches at Rec Hall on Nov. 21-22 when it hosts Northwestern and Wisconsin. The contest with the Wildcats is slated for Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall while the match with the Badgers, which is also Senior Night, is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. It will air on a tape-delay basis on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 p.m. The football game time on Saturday, Nov. 22 between Penn State and Michigan State has not yet been announced.
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.