Sept. 17, 2009
Complete Release
Webstream link vs. Temple
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team heads into its final weekend of non-conference play with one road match and two within the confines of Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions travel to Temple on Friday, Sept. 18 for a 7 p.m. match with the Owls in McGonigle Hall. Penn State returns home to Rec Hall to meet Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m., followed by a second match with Temple at 7:30 p.m. In addition, a match between Temple and Saint Francis will take place at 2 p.m.
Live stats will be available for Penn State's home matches versus Saint Francis and Temple on Saturday via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com. The Big Ten Network will also be streaming Penn State's Saturday evening match with Temple live at BigTenNetwork.com. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and are available in advance at 1-800-NITTANY or at the door.
Nittany Lion Preview
The top-ranked Nittany Lions continued to dominate early in 2009 with three 3-0 sweeps at the Duke Invitational on Sept. 11-12. Penn State opened the tournament against Loyola and held the Greyhounds to just 30 combined points in three sets. The Nittany Lions went on to defeat the Charleston Cougars by set scores of 25-18, 25-10 and 25-13 on Saturday afternoon. That evening in front of a crowd of 3,822, Penn State bedeviled the Blue Devils and won 25-21, 25-17, 25-15.
Penn State attacked at a .449 clip for the weekend and averaged 15.33 kills per set. The squad averaged 14.33 assists per set, 1.44 aces per set, 13.00 digs per set and 3.50 blocks per set. Senior Megan Hodge led all players with 4.89 kps and senior setter Alisha Glass paced the offense with 12.67 assists per set. On defense, junior Alyssa D'Errico averaged 4.22 dps and junior Arielle Wilson led the blocking game at 1.78 bps.
The Nittany Lions have extended their NCAA-record winning streak to 73 consecutive matches. The team has also won 124 consecutive regular season sets dating back to the final set of a 3-1 victory at Michigan on Nov. 24, 2007.
Scouting the Owls
The Owls have not played a match since a Sept. 5, 3-2 victory against Villanova. Temple is 3-3 overall having earned wins against St. Johns (8/29) and La Salle (9/5) in addition to Villanova. Junior Yun Yi Zhang leads all players with 148 kills with a 6.17 kps average. Junior Ariel Pierre leads the team in digs with 119.
The Series: Penn State vs. Temple
The Nittany Lions hold a 13-4 advantage in the all-time series with Temple. The two squads first met in 1977 with Temple winning 2-0 (15-8, 15-7). Penn State won its first match against the Owls in 1979. Temple and Penn State last met on Dec. 7, 2002 with Temple winning, 3-1 (30-24, 30-26, 26-30, 30-23).
Scouting the Red Flash
Saint Francis (Pa.) is currently 2-8 overall with wins against Hampton University (3-0) and Bucknell (3-0). Senior Shirley Miller leads the team in both kills (108) and digs (103), while senior setter Rikki Myers has dished out 264 assists.
The Series: Penn State vs. Saint Francis
Saturday's match with Saint Francis (Pa.) will be the first meeting between the two teams.
What's Next?
Penn State opens its Big Ten schedule on the road on Sept. 25-26 with matches at Northwestern and Illinois, respectively. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions host their Big Ten home opener on Oct. 2 when they welcome Iowa to Rec Hall at 7 p.m.