Aug. 23, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball hits the court in 2012 at the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by the University of Louisville on Aug. 24-25. The Nittany Lions open 2012 play against Morehead State on Friday at 5 p.m. before facing Western Kentucky University on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 1:30, followed by host Louisville at 7:30 p.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
Head coach Russ Rose, in his 34th season leading the women's volleyball program, welcomes back 13 letterwinners, including six returners with starting experience for the 2012 season. Included in the group are 2011 AVCA First Team All-American Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.), AVCA Second Team All-American Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.), AVCA Third Team All-American Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.), junior Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.), and sophomores Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) and Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio). Other returners include seniors Marika Racibarskas (Chatham, N.J.) and Kristin Carpenter, sophomores Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas), Lacey Fuller (San Diego, Calif.) and Aiyana Whitney (Norwood, N.J.) and redshirt sophomores Erica Denney (Aurora, Colo.) and Maggie Harding (State College, Pa.). Rose welcomes the addition of four freshmen, including outside hitters Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) and Paulina Prieto (Miami, Fla.) and defensive specialists Kendal Pierce (Eden, N.Y.) and Lara Caraway (Evans City, Pa.)
The Nittany Lions are coming off a season where they posted a 25-8 overall record, finished tied for second in the Big Ten with a 16-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Penn State vs. Morehead State
The Nittany Lions have met the Eagles once previously with Penn State winning, 3-0, on Oct. 20, 1983.
Scouting the Eagles
Morehead State was picked to repeat as the Ohio Valley Conference champions in 2012 after making their first NCAA appearance in 2011. The Eagles welcome back eight letterwinners from 2011, including All-OVC and AVCA All-Region setter junior Caitlin Clark. The Eagles also boast three newcomers, including two freshmen and one junior.
Penn State vs. Western Kentucky University
This is the first meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Hilltoppers.
Scouting the Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky University returns nine letterwinners from 2011, including five starters. The team made their sixth appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2011. WKU received votes in the AVCA Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll.
Penn State vs. Louisville
The Nittany Lions lead the series with the Cardinals, 5-1. The squads last met on Sept. 13, 2008 with the Nittany Lions winning, 3-0. Louisville's lone win against Penn State came on Sept. 16, 1983 with the Cardinals going 3-2 against PSU.
Scouting the Cardinals
Louisville was selected as the preseason favorite to win the BIG EAST for the second straight season. The team captured its first regular season title in 2011 going 13-1. The Cardinals welcome the return of BIG EAST Player of the Year Lola Arslanbekova, as well as All-BIG EAST Preseason Team selections Gwen Rucker and Emily Juhl.
What's Next?
Penn State opens its home slate with the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic on Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions are set to take on No. 6 Stanford on Friday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. before challenging No. 2 Texas on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Penn State heads to Chicago on Sept. 8-9 to play in the Mother McAuley Tournament against DePaul, Oregon State and UIC.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
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