Sept. 8, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team is headed to Gainesville, Fla. for the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic on Sept. 10-11. The Nittany Lions will take on No. 4 Florida on Friday, Sept. 10 and either No. 2 Stanford or No. 5 Texas on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Live stats will be available for both of Penn State's matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com. Friday's 6:30 p.m. match with the Gators will be tape-delayed and will air on Sun Sports at 10:30 p.m. Fox Sports Florida will stream Penn State's match with the Gators live, while the University of Florida will stream all four matches of the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic on their website as a package for $9.95 on GatorVision.
Nittany Lion Preview
The three-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team is back on the road this weekend at the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville. Penn State faces the host Gators on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions will face either Stanford or Texas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
PSU improved to 6-0 after earning three 3-0 wins against Seton Hall, Colgate and VCU in the Hampton Inn Classic. Four Nittany Lions are averaging 2.38 kills per set or more, including freshman Deja McClendon who leads the team with 3.67 kills per set. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter, who is averaging 9.59 assists per set, has guided three of her primary hitters to a .345 hitting percentage or better. On defense, senior Alyssa D'Errico is averaging 5.22 digs per set, while four Nittany Lions are averaging at least 1.00 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Florida
The Nittany Lions are 6-3 all-time against the Gators. The teams first met in 1986 with Penn State earning a 3-1 win. Penn State went on to win the next three meetings before Florida grabbed its first win against PSU in 1999. The Gators and Lions last met in the 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinals where Penn State earned a convincing 3-0 victory.
Scouting the Gators
The No. 4 Gators are 5-0 heading into the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic. Florida has wins against three ranked teams, including Nebraska, Iowa State and Colorado State. The Gators have a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging 1.67 kills per set or more.
Penn State vs. Texas
Penn State owns a 9-6 record with the Longhorns dating back to 1982. Texas won the first six meetings between the squads until Penn State grabbed a 3-0 win Nov. 24, 1990. Since then, Penn State has won each meeting, including a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in the 2009 NCAA National Championship match.
Scouting the Longhorns
Fifth-ranked Texas is coming off a 2-1 mark at the Texas Invitational last weekend. Texas' 25-match home winning streak came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Illinois on Sept. 3. However, the Longhorns defeated No. 23 LBSU, 3-2, to end the weekend with a win.
Penn State vs. Stanford
PSU is 6-5 against the Cardinal dating back to 1992. Penn State has won the last two meetings to take both the 2007 and 2008 NCAA National Championships. Stanford's last win against the Nittany Lions on Sept. 15, 2007 was Penn State's last loss.
Scouting the Cardinal
No. 2 Stanford is a perfect 5-0 after two weekends of play. The Cardinal is coming off a 3-0 sweep of UC Irvine and a 3-1 win against Marquette in the Stanford Invitational. Stanford returns three senior All-Americans from 2009, including Cassidy Lichtman, Alix Klineman and Gabi Ailes.
Penn State Recap
The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team continued its record-breaking winning streak with three straight set wins against Seton Hall, Colgate and VCU in the Hampton Inn Classic at Rec Hall. Freshman Deja McClendon led all players averaging 4.11 kills per set on .464 hitting. Junior Katie Kabbes was second on the team with 3.14 kps, while senior Blair Brown ranked third with 3.11 kps and senior Arielle Wilson was fourth with 2.78 kps. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter paced the offense with 11.25 assists per set, while senior Alyssa D'Errico had a team-best 4.56 digs per set. Senior Fatima Balza and Brown led the team in blocks with 1.43 and 1.11 blocks per set, respectively. Wilson, Brown and McClendon were all named to the Hampton Inn Classic All-Tournament Team.
What's Next?
Penn State returns home Sept. 17-18 for its final weekend of preseason play in the Rockvale Outlets Classic. The Nittany Lions face George Washington on Friday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m., Princeton on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 10 am and close out the tournament in a 7 p.m. matchup with St. John's.
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.