UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball team (5-0) is back on the road this weekend for the Chicago Classic. The Nittany Lions are set to face DePaul, Oregon State and UIC.
Action begins on Sept. 8 with the Nittany Lions taking on DePaul at 11 a.m. at Mother McAuley High School. Penn State challenges Oregon State at 8 p.m. before meeting UIC on Sept. 9 at 2 p.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
Penn State is now 5-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation according to the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll after defeating top 10 teams Stanford (3-2) and Texas (3-0) last weekend. Penn State hosted both teams, as well as nationally-ranked Florida in the Rockvale Outlets Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic at Rec Hall. Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the Nittany Lions with 4.75 kills per set, while junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) averaged 3.38 kills per set. Sophomore setter Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) paced the offense with 10.88 assists per set and had a team-high 3.50 digs per set and 0.62 aces per set. Sophomore Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) was strong in the back row with 3.12 digs per set, while junior Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) was a wall at the net with 1.38 blocks per set.
For the weekend, the Nittany Lions hit .242 and averaging 14.62 kills, 13.12 assists, 1.25 aces, 17.38 digs and 2.50 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. DePaul
This is the first meeting between the Blue Demons and the Nittany Lions.
Scouting the Blue Demons
DePaul is 3-3 so far in 2012 after hosting one tournament, the DePaul Invitational, and traveling to the UT-Martin Invitational. The Blue Demons went 1-2 during the first weekend of play with a win a 3-2 win against Indiana State. On Aug. 31-Sept. 1, the Blue Demons went 2-1 with wins against Wright State (3-0) and Tennessee-Martin (3-2).
Penn State vs. Oregon State
The Nittany Lions are 1-0 all-time vs. the Beavers. The squads last met on Sept. 9, 1995. The Nittany Lions won the match, 3-0.
Scouting the Beavers
The Beavers head into the Chicago Classic with a 4-2 record after two weekends of play. Oregon State secured wins against Oakland (3-0) and UC Irvine (3-1) in the Kansas State tournament, but suffered a 3-2 loss to the Wildcats. Despite a loss to Miami to start the Redbird Classic on Aug. 31, OSU swept Presbyterian and defeated host Illinois State, 3-2.
Penn State vs. UIC
Penn State leads the series with the Flames, 5-0. The Nittany Lions have swept UIC on all five occasions, most recently on Sept. 12, 2008.
Scouting the Flames
UIC owns a 3-4 record so far in 2012. The Flames opened the season going 2-1 with wins against Colgate and Bryant, but a 3-2 setback to Syracuse. Last weekend the Flames hosted the UIC Invitational, but went 0-3 with losses to UT Arlington, IPFW and Eastern Michigan. The Flames have since rebounded with a 3-1 win against Northern Illinois on Sept. 4.
What's Next?
Penn State returns to Rec Hall on Sept. 14-15 for the Penn State Classic. Joining the Nittany Lions for the weekend are Duquesne, Portland and Eastern Illinois. Penn State vaces Portland on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. before taking on Duquesne and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.
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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