Sept. 15, 2011
Complete release in pdf format
Hampton Inn Classic Tournament Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The four-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team returns home this weekend to host the Hampton Inn Classic. The Nittany Lions open the weekend with a 7 p.m. match vs. Long Island on Friday, Sept. 16. Penn State faces Rutgers on Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. followed by Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m.
All three of Penn State's matches will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. Tickets are available for $8 for adults and $5 for youth and groups. Groups can be purchased in advance for $4 per person. Students registered for Code Blue rewards are eligible to swipe their IDs.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions are now 4-3 after suffering two setbacks at the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic hosted by Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. on Sept. 9-10. Penn State lost 3-1 to then No. 3 Stanford before forcing Texas to five sets in a 3-2 loss to the Longhorns. Sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led the team with 4.67 kills per set, while freshman setter Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) paced the offense with 10.78 assists per set. Junior Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) averaged 4.33 digs per set, while sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) put up an average of 1.11 blocks per set.
For the weekend, Penn State hit .179 as a team and averaged 13.11 kills per set, 12.56 assists per set, 1.67 aces per set, 14.67 digs per set and 2.11 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Long Island
Penn State is 4-0 all-time vs. the Blackbirds. The squads last in 2008 early in the season in a tournament at Rec Hall. Penn State won, 3-0. The Nittany Lions and Blackbirds met later on in the season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with PSU sweeping LIU.
Scouting the Blackbirds
Long Island is 3-7 overall this season. The Blackbirds opened the season with four straight losses before defeating East Carolina, 3-1 on Sept. 2. Despite three more losses, the Blackbirds won their last two matches, defeating Lehigh and Temple three set to one.
Penn State vs. Rutgers
The Nittany Lions lead the series with Rutgers 24-9 and have won the last 15 meetings. The squads last met on Sept. 3, 2004 in the Penn State Invitational. The Nittany Lions won, 3-0.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
Rutgers is 6-7 so far in 2011. Despite opening the season with three losses, but Scarlet Knights rallied to win their next four matches vs. UT-Pan American, NJIT, Hartford and Brown. Most recently, Rutgers defeated Howard, 3-1 on Sept. 10, and Lehigh on Sept. 13.
Penn State vs. FGCU
This is the first meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast.
Scouting the Eagles
FGCU owns a 3-6 record heading into the Hampton Inn Classic. The Eagles opened the season with a 3-2 loss vs. Elon in the NCCU Tournament, but posted 3-1 victories against both Campbell and N.C. Central. Despite losing their next five matches, FGCU beat Radford, 3-1, on Sept. 10 in the Miami (Ohio) Invitational.
What's Next?
Penn State opens its Big Ten slate on Sept. 21 at Nebraska. The match will be aired on the Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions remain on the road for a match at Iowa on Sept. 24.
Complete Match Schedule
Sept. 16
4:30 p.m. - Florida Gulf Coast vs. Rutgers
7 p.m. - Long Island vs. Penn State
Sept. 17
10 a.m. - Rutgers vs. Penn State
1 p.m. - Long Island vs. Florida Gulf Coast
4 p.m. - Rutgers vs. Long Island
7 p.m. - Florida Gulf Coast vs. Penn State