Sept. 30, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 4 Penn State women's volleyball team continues Big Ten action this weekend at home in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions host Michigan State on Friday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. followed by No. 19 Michigan on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Live stats will be available for all matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com. Friday's match against the Spartans will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com and Saturday's match against the Wolverines will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Nittany Lion Preview
The three-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team aims to extend its 80-match home winning streak this weekend with matches against Michigan State and No. 19 Michigan. The 2009 Big Ten Championship banner will be raised to the Rec Hall rafters prior to Penn State's match with MSU and the 2009 NCAA Championship banner will be raised prior to Saturday's match with Michigan.
PSU improved to 11-2 after going 1-1 in the first weekend of Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions suffered a 3-2 setback to then No. 9 Illinois before rebounding with a 3-0 sweep of Wisconsin. So far this season, three Nittany Lions are averaging 2.67 kills per set or more, including senior Blair Brown who leads the team with 3.60 kills per set. Freshman Deja McClendon is not far behind with 3.37 kills per set and senior Arielle Wilson is averaging 2.67 kills per set. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter has been the primary setter this season, averaging 10.00 assists per set. She has guided three of her primary hitters to a .328 hitting percentage or better. Senior libero Alyssa D'Errico has a team-high 4.38 digs per set, while there are three middle hitters averaging at least 1.30 blocks per set including Wilson (1.31 bps), senior Fatima Balza (1.30 bps) and freshman Katie Slay (1.44 bps).
Penn State vs. Michigan State
The Nittany Lions are 33-6 all-time against the Spartans. Penn State won the first meeting on Sept. 13, 1985, 3-0. MSU won their first match against the Nittany Lions on Nov. 4, 1994, 3-2. The Spartans last defeated Penn State on Nov. 1, 2002 winning 3-2. Penn State has since won the last 14 meetings with only three matches going beyond three sets.
Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State is 9-4 overall with a 1-1 Big Ten record. Three of the Spartans four losses in 2010 have come at the hands of three nationally-ranked teams, including No. 5 Hawaii, No. 6 USC and No. 17 Minnesota. Despite opening conference play with a 3-0 loss to the Gophers at home in East Lansing, Michigan State responded with a 3-1 victory against Iowa.
Penn State vs. Michigan
Penn State owns a 38-3 record against the Wolverines dating back to 1981. Penn State won the first 11 matches before Michigan earned its first victory Nov. 18, 1995. The Nittany Lions are 21-0 against the Wolverines in the confines of Rec Hall. Penn State has won the last 15 meetings, including a 3-2 victory in Ann Arbor and a 3-0 sweep at Rec Hall in 2009.
Scouting the Wolverines
Michigan is 13-1 overall in 2010 with a 2-0 record in Big Ten play. After a 3-2 setback to Toledo in the opening weekend of play, the Wolverines have lost just six sets. Michigan opened conference play against Iowa and swept the Hawkeyes in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines followed the win with a 3-2 victory against then No. 14 Minnesota. Prior to taking on the Nittany Lions on Oct. 2, the Wolverines will face Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 1.
Penn State Recap
The Nittany Lions 65-match Big Ten winning streak came to an end on Friday, Sept. 24 at No. 7 Illinois in a 3-2 loss in the Big Ten season opener. Penn State rebounded two days later with a 3-0 sweep of Wisconsin. Senior Blair Brown led Penn State with 30 kills (3.75 kills per set), while senior Arielle Wilson was second on the team with 27 kills (3.38 kills per set) on a team-best .471 attack percentage. Freshman Deja McClendon rounded out the top offensive players for the weekend with 24 kills (3.00 kills per set). Sophomore Kristin Carpenter dished out 92 assists (11.50 assists per set) and senior libero Alyssa D'Errico totaled 40 digs (5.00 digs per set). Wilson was a wall at the net with 11 blocks (1.38 blocks per set).
What's Next?
Penn State takes to the road on Oct. 8-9. The Nittany Lions face Purdue on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Ind. before heading to Bloomington, Ind. on Oct. 9 for a match with the Hoosiers.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.