Dec. 8, 2011
Penn State Notes
Tournament Central
VIDEO: Penn State NCAA Tournament Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The four-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team continues its quest for yet another championship this weekend when it travels to Lexington, Ky. to compete in the Regional Semifinals at the University of Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum. The Nittany Lions take on ninth-seeded UCLA in the regional semifinal match on Friday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. No. 1 seed Texas and Kentucky play in the later match at 7 p.m. The winners of each match are schedule to play on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 4:30 p.m.
Penn State's match with UCLA will stream live on ESPN3.com. In addition, fans can follow match action on GoPSUsports.com nationwide, or on NewsRadio 103, WRSF-FM in State College and the surrounding areas.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions improved to 25-7 overall after sweeping both Liberty and Delaware in the First and Second Rounds of the 2011 NCAA Tournament at Rec Hall on Dec. 2-3. Penn State defeated Liberty (25-16, 25-16, 25-16) and Delaware (25-12, 25-9, 25-18) to advance in the tournament. Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the team for the week with a combined 28 kills, while sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) posted 16 kills. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) dished out 76 assists and was second on the team with 19 digs. Sophomore Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) posted a team-high 29 digs and sophomore Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.) was third on the squad with 15. Sophomore Katie Slay(Raleigh, N.C.) led the team at the net with seven total blocks.
For the week, Penn State hit .379 as a team and averaged 15.50 kills per set, 14.67 assists per set, 2.17 aces per set, 17.67 digs per set and 2.50 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. No. 9 UCLA
The Nittany Lions are 4-6 all-time versus the Bruins. Penn State last met UCLA on Aug. 30, 2008 in the Hawaiian Airlines Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Penn State won the match, 3-0. The match was the 28th win of the Nittany Lions' 109 consecutive match wins. Three of Penn State's four victories against UCLA have come on a neutral court.
Scouting the Bruins
UCLA is 26-6 overall and finished their conference season 17-5. The Bruins faced UMES to open NCAA Tournament play and won, 3-0. UCLA went on to defeat San Diego, 3-1, to advance to the Regional Semifinals in Lexington.
The Series vs. Possible Regional Championship Opponents
Penn State vs. No. 1 Texas
Penn State owns a 10-7 record against the Longhorns. Earlier this season, Texas earned its first win against the Nittany Lions since 1989 with a five set win in the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic hosted by Stanford on Sept. 9-10. Should Penn State and Texas meet in the Regional Championship match, it will be the third meeting in as many years in tournament play for the two squads. The Nittany Lions defeated the Longhorns, 3-2, for the 2009 NCAA Championship and swept Texas in the 2010 National Semifinal.
Penn State vs. Kentucky
Penn State leads the series with Kentucky, 5-1. The squads have not played one another since 1986. Kentucky's lone win against the Nittany Lions came in a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 23, 1983 in Lexington.
What's Next?
Should the Nittany Lions defeat UCLA on Friday, Dec. 9, Penn State will face the winner of the Kentucky/Texas match on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 4:30 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum. If the Nittany Lions advance, they will travel to the San Antonia, Texas to play in the NCAA National Semifinals in the Alamodome.
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.