Sept. 13, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 4 Penn State women's volleyball team (7-1) is back in action this weekend hosting the Penn State Classic. The Nittany Lions welcome Eastern Illinois, Duquesne and Portland to Rec Hall.
Action begins on Sept. 14 with Eastern Illinois taking on Duquesne at 4:30 p.m. followed by Penn State against Portland at 7 p.m. On Sept. 15, the Nittany Lions start off the day facing Duquesne before challenging Eastern Illinois at 8 p.m. In between Portland takes on Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. and the Dukes at 4 p.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
Penn State improved to 7-1 after going 2-1 in the Chicago Classic on Sept. 8-9. Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the Nittany Lions with 3.45 kills per set, while classmate Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) averaged 3.00. Sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) dished out 10.36 assists per set and 1.00 blocks per set. Defensively, sophomore Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) averaged a team-best 3.55 digs per set and McClendon had 2.55. Junior Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) led Penn State at the net with 1.50 blocks per set.
For the weekend, the Nittany Lions hit .281 and averaged 12.55 kills, 11.55 assists, 1.82 aces, 12.27 digs and 2.86 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Portland
This is the first meeting between the Pilots and the Nittany Lions.
Scouting the Pilots
Portland owns a 5-6 record heading into its final weekend of non-conference play. The Pilots have lost three of their last four matches. This will be the second straight match against a ranked team for the Pilots after facing No. 5 Washington (3-0) on Sept. 11.
Penn State vs. Duquesne
The Nittany Lions lead the series with Duquesne, 8-1. The Dukes lone win against Penn State was on Nov. 9, 1976 when they defeated the Lions, 3-0. The squads last met at Rec Hall on Aug. 29, 1997 with PSU coming away with the sweep.
Scouting the Dukes
Duquesne is 8-4 so far in 2012, but is coming off a weekend where it went 0-3 in the Ameritas Players Challenge hosted by top-ranked Nebraska. Previously the Dukes had won five straight matches, including defeating nearby Saint Francis, 3-0, on Sept. 4.
Penn State vs. Eastern Illinois
The Nittany Lions are 2-0 all-time versus the Panthers. The teams haven't met since Sept. 13, 1990 when Penn State swept EIU, 3-0. The Panthers are led by former Penn State women's volleyball player Kate Price, who is the fourth former player head coach Russ Rose has faced this season.
Scouting the Panthers
EIU is 3-6 heading into the Penn State Classic. The Panthers' three wins this season came against DePaul (3-1), Indiana State (3-2) and most recently, Wake Forest (3-1). EIU most recently faced nationally-ranked Michigan and fell, 3-0.
What's Next?
Penn State remains at home to start the Big Ten portion of its schedule. The Nittany Lions host No. 1 Nebraska on Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. before welcoming Iowa to Rec Hall on Sept. 22, also at 8 p.m.
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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