Oct. 7, 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 Purdue and Indiana. The Nittany Lions face the Boilermakers on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. before taking on the Hoosiers on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.
Live stats will be available for all matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com.
Nittany Lion Preview
The three-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team is on the road again this weekend with matches at Purdue and Indiana. Penn State's match with the Boilermakers will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. Live audio of Penn State's match at Indiana is available via a link at GoPSUsports.com.
PSU improved to 13-2 with a 3-1 record in Big Ten play with 3-0 sweeps of Michigan State and Michigan on Oct. 1-2. So far this season, three Nittany Lions are averaging 2.79 kills per set or more, including senior Blair Brown who leads the team with 3.62 kills per set. Freshman Deja McClendon is not far behind with 3.53 kills per set and senior Arielle Wilson is averaging 2.79 kills per set. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter has been the primary setter this season, averaging 10.14 assists per set. She has guided three of her primary hitters to a .324 hitting percentage or better. Senior libero Alyssa D'Errico has a team-high 4.08 digs per set, while there are three middle hitters averaging at least 1.30 blocks per set including Wilson (1.33 bps), senior Fatima Balza (1.37 bps) and freshman Katie Slay (1.48 bps).
Penn State vs. Purdue
Penn State is 43-5 all-time against the Boilermakers. The series began with a 2-0 Penn State win on Nov. 7, 1981, but Purdue went on to win the next five matches. The Nittany Lions have not lost a match to Purdue since Dec. 4, 1987 for a 42-match winning streak. During the entire series, Penn State has lost just 20 sets to the Boilermakers.
Scouting the Boilermakers
Purdue owns an 11-4 record with a 2-2 record in conference play. The Boilermakers have faced two ranked opponents this season, suffering a 3-2 loss to then No. 24 Northern Iowa on Aug. 28 and a 3-1 setback to then No. 17 Minnesota on Oct. 1. Purdue's conference victories came against Indiana and Iowa, while its other Big Ten loss came at the hands of Northwestern. The Boilermakers are in the top five in the league in blocks per set (2.65), kills per set (13.92) and digs per set (15.89).
Penn State vs. Indiana
The Nittany Lions are a perfect 40-0 against the Hoosiers. The Nittany Lions and Hoosiers first met on Nov. 6, 1982. Penn State has only lost five sets to the Hoosiers and only five matches have gone beyond three sets.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana heads into the third weekend of Big Ten play with a 12-4 overall record, opening the season with 12 straight wins. However, the Hoosiers are 0-4 since beginning conference play with losses to Purdue, Northwestern, Iowa and Minnesota.
Penn State Recap
The Nittany Lions 80-match home winning streak was extended to 82 consecutive matches with wins against Michigan State and Michigan on Oct. 1-2. McClendon led the team with 28 kills and averaged 4.67 kills per set, while Brown finished the weekend with 23 and Wilson totaled 22. Carpenter dished out 66 assists (11.00 assists per set), while senior Cathy Quilico led the team in digs with 16 (2.67 digs per set). Three Nittany Lions tied for first on the team with nine blocks each, including Wilson, Brown and junior Katie Kabbes.
What's Next?
Penn State returns to Rec Hall Oct. 15-16 to continue Big Ten play against Minnesota and Iowa. The Nittany Lions take on the Gophers on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., followed by the Hawkeyes on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.