Oct. 18, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The four-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team returns home on Wednesday, Oct. 19 to take on No. 23 Ohio State at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The match begins a four match home stand for the Nittany Lions.
The match will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com and will air on the Big Ten Network on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 1-800-NITTANY or prior to the match at the Rec Hall ticket office. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and groups.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions are now 13-5 overall after defeating then No. 11 Purdue and Indiana on Oct. 14-15. Sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led the Lions combining for 27 kills on .377 hitting. Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) wasn't far behind with 21 kills. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) dished out 75 assists and a team-best six aces. Sophomore libero Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) had a team-high 30 digs, while sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) was impressive at the net with nine total blocks for the weekend.
For the week, Penn State hit .240 as a team and averaged 13.71 kills per set, 13.00 assists per set, 2.00 aces per set, 13.85 digs per set and 2.50 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads the series with the Buckeyes 36-14. Ohio State's last victory against Penn State was a 3-0 decision on Nov. 8, 2006. The Nittany Lions have won the last eight matches against Ohio State. Seven of the eight matches have been 3-0 sweeps by Penn State.
Scouting the Buckeyes
The 24th-ranked Buckeyes own a 14-7 overall record and are 4-4 in league play. Ohio State opened the season with four consecutive wins before traveling to the Hawaii Airlines Classic and losing all three matches. The Buckeyes rallied to win their next seven matches, including their Big Ten opener at Iowa. Ohio State also has conference wins against Minnesota, Northwestern and Indiana.
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.