Oct. 15, 2009
Complete Release in pdf format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball concludes its four-match road trip this weekend with visits to No. 11 Michigan and RV Michigan State. The Nittany Lions meet the Wolverines on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. before facing the Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Penn State's match with Michigan will be tape-delayed and broadcast on ESPN2 on Sunday, October 18 at 1 p.m. Live stats and live audio will be available for both matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com.
Nittany Lion Preview
The top-ranked Nittany Lions improved to 18-0 and 6-0 in conference play with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-14) victory at then No. 5 Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 11. Penn State is the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten.
Last week, the Nittany Lions attacked at a combined .340 attack percentage after matches at Ohio State and Minnesota. Penn State averaged 16.14 kills per set, 14.86 assists per set, 1.00 aces per set, 16.29 digs per set and 3.57 blocks per set. Senior Megan Hodge led the squad with 39 kills (5.57 kills per set) and senior setter Alisha Glass dished out 93 assists (13.29 assists per set). Glass also led the team in digs with 24 (3.43 digs per set), while junior Fatima Balza had a team-best 16 total blocks (2.29 blocks per set).
The Nittany Lions have extended their NCAA-record winning streak to 82 consecutive matches. The squad also extended their Big Ten winning streak to 51 straight matches to sit atop the all-time Big Ten consecutive wins list. The Nittany Lions own the top three spots.
Scouting the Wolverines
The Wolverines opened their season winning 12 straight matches before a 3-0 loss to Oregon State on Sept. 19 in their Adidas Invitational. Michigan has league wins against Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa, but suffered a 3-2 loss to Illinois on Sept. 27 and a 3-1 loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 10.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan
The Nittany Lions are 36-3 all-time against the Wolverines. Penn State won the first match with Michigan on Nov. 7, 1981, 2-0 (15-8, 15-3). PSU hasn't lost a match to the Wolverines since Nov. 2, 2002 when the Wolverines won 3-2 (29-31, 30-28, 20-30, 30-15, 10-15).
Scouting the Spartans
The Spartans, like the Wolverines, opened their season with 12 consecutive wins, but Purdue cut the streak off on Sept. 25 dealing MSU a 3-1 loss in its Big Ten season opener. MSU is 2-4 in conference play with wins against Illinois and Northwestern. Most recently, the Spartans suffered 3-0 losses at Wisconsin and Iowa.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan State
PSU owns a 31-6 record against the Spartans and has not lost a match to MSU since Nov. 1, 2002. The Nittany Lions have also not lost a set to MSU in their last nine meetings. Last season, the Nittany Lions secured two convincing sweeps of the Spartans on Oct. 4 at home and Nov. 7 in East Lansing.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions return home for four straight matches at Rec Hall beginning with Indiana on Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Penn State hosts Purdue (10/24), Ohio State (10/28) and Minnesota (10/30) before hitting the road again on Nov. 6 for a match at Wisconsin.