Dec. 2, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
Tournament Central
Watch a Video Preview Leading Up to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
Follow the Match Blog During the Niagara Match
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The eighth-ranked and fourth seeded Penn State women's volleyball team begins NCAA Tournament play this weekend hosting the First and Second Rounds on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4. The Nittany Lions meet Niagara on Friday at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Virginia Tech and Delaware meet earlier in the day at 5 p.m. The winners of both matches will play on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Penn State clinched its eighth consecutive and 14th overall Big Ten title in the final weekend of Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions finished the season with a 26-5 overall record and a 16-4 record in league play. Three Nittany Lions earned First Team All-Big Ten accolades, including seniors Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) and Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.), who were unanimous selections, and freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.), who was also a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team. Senior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) earned her first postseason award as an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick, as did senior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) as the Sportsmanship honoree.. In addition, Brown was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, McClendon was selected as the Freshman of the Year and head coach Russ Rose was voted the conference's Coach of the Year.
ALL SESSION tickets for the First and Second rounds MUST be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or by calling 814-865-5555 beginning on Monday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. up until Friday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. All session tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for youth and students with a valid college or university ID and $8 for groups of 20 or more. SINGLE SESSION tickets will only be available at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, and are $8 for adults, $6 for youth and students and $5 for groups. The first 200 students with a valid ID get in free.
Nittany Lion Preview
The three-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team begins postseason this weekend when it hosts Niagara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This will be Penn State's 30th postseason appearance, one of just two schools to receive invitations to event event since inception in 1981.
The Nittany Lions improved to 26-5 overall with a 16-4 record in league play to close out the regular season. So far in 2010, three Nittany Lions are averaging 2.67 kills per set or more, including Brown who leads the team with 4.14 kills per set. McClendon is not far behind with 3.41 kills per set and Wilson is averaging 2.67 kills per set. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter has been the primary setter this season, averaging 11.34 assists per set. She has guided three of her primary hitters to a .324 hitting percentage or better. D'Errico has a team-high 4.16 digs per set, while there are three middle hitters averaging at least 1.10 blocks per set including Wilson (1.10 bps), Balza (1.31 bps) and freshman Katie Slay (1.56 bps).
Penn State vs. Niagara
This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Niagara.
Scouting the Purple Eagles
Niagara captured the 2010 MAAC crown after defeating Iona in straight sets on Nov. 20. The Purple Eagles finished the season with a 25-8 overall record and had 17-1 record in league play. The Purple Eagles enter postseason play on a 19-match winning streak.
The Series vs. Possible Sound Round Opponents
Delaware
The Nittany Lions are 2-0 all-time against the Blue Hens. The squads first met in 1979 with Penn State winning, 2-0 (15-3, 15-12). The teams met again in 1981 with Penn State defeating Delaware, 2-0 (15-6, 15-7).
Virginia Tech
It would be the first meeting between Penn State and Virginia Tech.
Penn State Recap
The Nittany Lions improved to 26-5 with a 16-4 record in Big Ten play after a 3-0 sweep of Iowa and despite a 3-2 setback to No. 15 Minnesota. Brown led the Nittany Lions with 41 kills, averaging 5.12 kills per set. McClendon posted 28 kills with a .371 attack percentage. Carpenter dished out 112 assists, while D'Errico had a team-high 53 digs (6.62 digs per set). Balza was a wall at the net with 10 total blocks, averaging 1.25 blocks per set.
What's Next?
Should the Nittany Lions defeat Niagara, they will face the winner of the matchup between Delaware and Virginia Tech on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall. Continued success would advance the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Regional Championship held at Rec Hall on Dec. 10-11.
ALL SESSION tickets for the University Park Regional on Dec. 10-11 are also on sale NOW. They MUST also be purchased in advance at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or by calling 814-865-5555. All session tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for youth and students with a valid college or university ID and $8 for groups of 20 or more. SINGLE SESSION tickets for the University Park Regional will only be available at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10-11, and are $10 for adults, $7 for youth and students and $5 for groups.
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.