Oct. 19, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten) heads to the University of Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 20. Penn State faces the Wolverines at 7 p.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Penn State women's volleyball team improved to 19-1 and 9-0 in the Big Ten after defeating No. 20 Ohio State 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-22) in a midweek match on Oct. 17. Juniors Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the Lions averaging 4.67 kills per set, with Slay hitting an impressive .737. Sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) dished out 12.67 assists per set and sophomore libero Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) led the team with 5.00 digs per set. Slay was Penn State's leader in blocks with 1.00 blocks per set.
For the match, the Nittany Lions hit .342 and averaged 17.67 kills, 15.33 assists, 1.33 aces, 17.67 digs and 2.33 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Michigan
The Nittany Lions are 41-3 all-time against the Wolverines. Penn State has won 18 of the last 19 matches. Michigan's last win against the Nittany Lions was Nov. 2, 2002 in five sets.
Last Five Meetings
PSU 3-0, at UM, Oct. 16, 2009
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Nov. 28, 2009
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Oct. 2, 2010
PSU 3-0, at UM, Nov. 5, 2010
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Oct. 22, 2011
Scouting the Wolverines
Michigan is 16-7 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines opened the season with eight straight wins before Marquette dealt them a 3-1 setback. Michigan has league wins against Indiana (3-1), Iowa (3-0), Illinois (3-0) and Northwestern (3-0). The Wolverines have suffered conference losses to Purdue (3-2), Nebraska (3-1), Minnesota (3-1), Wisconsin (3-0), and most recently Michigan State (3-0) on Oct. 17.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions remain on the road for the next two matches. Penn State visits Iowa on Oct. 24 and Nebraska on Oct. 28.
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.
The Penn State women's volleyball team is on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us @PennStateVBALL and at www.facebook.com/pennstatewomensvolleyball.