Aug. 12, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The three-time defending Penn State women's volleyball team has been voted as the preseason favorite for the sixth consecutive year by the league coaches, conference officials announced Thursday. Three members of the Nittany Lion squad have earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors from the coaches.
Seniors Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.), Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) and Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) all earned preseason accolades. Brown and Wilson were both unanimous selections. It's the second career honor for Brown, the third for Wilson and the first for D'Errico.
The seven-time defending Big Ten champions top the preseason poll for the seventh time since 2001. Illinois was picked second in the preseason poll and Minnesota was chosen third. Ohio State was slated fourth, Michigan was tabbed fifth and Michigan State rounded out the poll at sixth.
Penn State is one of eight schools with student-athletes selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten team and one of four schools with multiple student-athletes chosen. Overall, 17 student-athletes were selected to the preseason squad. Joining Brown, D'Errico and Wilson are Illinois' Michelle Bartsch (Jr., OH), Johannah Bangert (Sr., MB), Laura DeBruler (Sr., OH) and Hillary Haen (Sr., S), Indiana's Ashley Benson (Sr., MB), Michigan's Alex Hunt (Jr., OH) and Lexi Zimmerman (Sr., S), Kyndra Abron (Jr, OH) of Michigan State, Minnesota's Hailey Cowles (Sr., OH/L), Lauren Gibbemeyer (Jr., MB) and Tabitha Love (So., OH), Sabel Moffett (Sr., MB) of Northwestern and Ohio State's Katie Dull (Sr., OH). DeBruler, Benson, Zimmerman, Gibbemeyer, Moffett and Dull were all unanimous selections.
Brown, a 2009 AVCA First Team All-American, started 37 matches and finished second on the team with 347 kills, averaging 2.97 kills per set. A First Team All-Big Ten selection, Brown's .347 hitting percentage ranked fifth on the team and in the Big Ten and ranked in the top 50 nationally. Brown was reliable on defense as well, totaling 187 digs for the season and finishing third on the team with 107 total blocks. In the national championship match against Texas, Brown tied for second on the team with 13 kills, had three blocks and tied her career-best with 14 digs.
Wilson, also a 2009 AVCA First Team All-American, started all 38 matches last season and played in all 122 sets. She set the NCAA record for hitting percentage finishing the season attacking at a .540 clip. She finished third on the team with 337 kills, averaging 2.76 kills per set, while leading the team and the league with 186 total blocks. Her 1.52 blocks per set ranked second in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation. A First Team All-Big Ten honoree, Wilson was named to both the NCAA Regional Championship All-Tournament Team, as well as the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team.
This is the first honor of D'Errico's career. Last season she played in all 38 matches and 122 sets as the starting at libero where she led the team with 62 aces and 433 digs, averaging 3.55 digs per set. An Academic All-Big Ten selection, D'Errico led the team in digs 24 times. In the NCAA National Semifinal against Hawaii, D'Errico tallied 19 digs before surpassing that total with a career-high 22 digs against Texas in the NCAA Championship match.
The Nittany Lions open the 2010 season at the Carolina Classic on Aug. 27 against North Carolina. Penn State's home opener is scheduled for Sept. 3 with Seton Hall as part of the two-day Nittany Lion Invitational.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.