Sept. 1, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The four-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team opens its 2011 road slate this weekend at the Pittsburgh Invitational. The Nittany Lions play their first road match of the season against Miami (Ohio) on Friday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. before taking on host Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Penn State faces New Hampshire on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 10 a.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions opened the 2011 season competing in the Rockvale Outlets AVCA College Showcase at home in Rec Hall. More than 9,800 fans came out to support the Lions, including 6,165 on Aug. 27 when Penn State faced then No. 2 USC. Sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led the Lions with 15 kills in a 3-1 setback to Oregon on Aug. 26. Despite the loss, PSU bounced back and defeated USC in five sets. McClendon had a career-high 25 kills and freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) made her first start at setter and had 45 assists and seven kills. Junior Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) recorded a career-best 20 digs against the Trojans, while senior Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.) put up a personal-best 10 total blocks.
For the weekend, Penn State hit .303 as a team and averaged 12.56 kills per set, 11.44 assists per set, 1.44 aces per set, 11.22 digs per set and 3.00 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Miami (Ohio)
The Nittany Lions own a 4-0 record against the Redhawks. The two squads first met in 1990 in the Penn State Preview with the Lions winning, 3-0 (15-9, 15-7, 15-6). Penn State and Miami (Ohio) last met at the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by Saint Louis in 2009. The Lions came away with a convincing 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-9) sweep.
Scouting the Redhawks
Miami (Ohio) returns five starters, plus the libero, from 2010. The Redhawks opened 2011 going 4-0 in the Quality Inn/Asics Classic at Indiana State. Miami (Ohio) defeated Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, Indiana State and Chicago State.
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh
Penn State is 29-17 all-time vs. the Panthers in a series which began in 1977. The teams last met in 2009 in the Nittany Lion Invitational with PSU winning, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18)
Scouting the Panthers
The Panthers welcomed back two starters and the libero from the 2010 season. Pitt opened the season in the Pitt Panther Invitational going 4-0. The Panthers defeated Howard, Eastern Kentucky, Marist and Rhode Island.
Penn State vs. New Hampshire
The Lions are a perfect 3-0 all-time against the Wildcats. The Lions and Wildcats last met on Sept. 20, 2008 in the Penn State Classic. Penn State won the match, 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-15).
Scouting the Wildcats
New Hampshire returns three starters and eight letterwinners from the 2010 season. The Wildcats are 0-4 so far in 2011 having suffered setbacks to West Virginia, Ohio State, Towson and Valparaiso in the WVU Mountaineer Invitational last weekend.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are back on the road on Sept. 9-10 in Palo Alto, Calif. Penn State takes on Stanford at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 9 in the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic. Depending on the outcome, the Lions will face either Texas or Florida on Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Penn State is back at home on Sept. 16-17 to host the Penn State Classic. The Nittany Lions welcome Long Island, Rutgers and Florida Gulf Coast to Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.