Oct. 23, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team (20-1, 10-0 Big Ten) heads to the University of Iowa on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Penn State faces the Hawkeyes at 8 p.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Penn State women's volleyball team improved to 20-1 and 10-0 in the Big Ten with wins against Ohio State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions defeated the Buckeyes, 3-0 (25-21, 25-19 25-22) and the Wolverines, 3-2 (25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 22-25, 15-10). Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) had a team-high 4.00 kills per set, while junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) had 2.88 kills per set. Sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) averaged 11.38 assists per set and 2.00 digs per set. McClendon had a team-best 4.75 digs per set and sophomore Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) wasn't far behind averaging 4.62 digs per set. Junior Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) put up an impressive 1.88 blocks per set and freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) registered 1.12 blocks per set.
For the week, the Nittany Lions hit .276 and averaged 14.75 kills, 13.50 assists, 0.62 aces, 15.38 digs and 3.50 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Iowa
Penn State leads the series with Iowa 43-0. This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Iowa visited Rec Hall on Sept. 22 and Penn State earned a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 29-27, 25-14) win.
Last Five Meetings
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Oct. 16, 2010
PSU 3-0, at Iowa, Nov. 26, 2010
PSU 3-0, at Iowa, Sept. 24, 2011
PSU 3-1, at PSU, Oct. 28, 2011
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Sept. 22, 2012
Scouting the Hawkeyes
Iowa owns a 10-13 overall record this season and are currently 2-8 in Big Ten play at the midpoint of the conference season. The Hawkeyes lost their first four Big Ten matches before defeating Indiana, 3-1, and nationally-ranked Purdue, 3-0, on Purdue's home court on Oct. 5-6, respectively.
What's Next?
Penn State finishes the week with a visit to No. 4 Nebraska on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. The Nittany Lions are then home for their next four matches. Penn State hosts Minnesota on Nov. 2, Wisconsin on Nov. 4, Illinois on Nov. 8 and Northwestern on Nov. 10.
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.