Nov. 7, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball team (23-2 13-1 Big Ten) is back in action on Nov. 8 against Illinois. Action is set for 8 p.m. in Rec Hall and the match will air live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State faces Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and can be purchased by calling 1-800- NITTANY or at the Rec Hall ticket office prior to each match.
Saturday's match against Northwestern is Dig Pink, an annual event with the Side-Out Foundation which raises awareness for breast cancer research. The first 200 students get a free Dig Pink t-shirt. In addition, the Penn State Women's Volleyball Booster Club will also be selling shirts for $10. Fans are encouraged to wear pink. For more information on the Side-Out Foundation, please visit www.side-out.org.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Penn State women's volleyball team is now 23-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten after a 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21) win against Minnesota and a 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-22) sweep of Wisconsin. Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the team with 4.86 kills per set and sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) dished out 12.29 assists per set. Sophomore Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) led the team with 4.43 digs per set, while junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) and Hancock averaged 3.71 digs per set. Hancock led the Nittany Lions with a 1.29 aces per set and freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) and junior Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) each had 0.86 blocks per set.
For the weekend, the Nittany Lions hit .247 and averaged 15.00 kills, 13.86 assists, 2.43 aces, 17.4 digs and 2.21 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Illinois
The Nittany Lions are 38-9 all-time against the Fighting Illini. Penn State visited Illinois earlier this season on Oct. 6 and earned a 3-2 victory. The Nittany Lions battled back from a 14-10 deficit in the fifth set for the win. Penn State has only lost 17 times since 2007, three of them at the hands of the Illini.
Last Five Meetings
Illinois 3-2, at Illinois, Sept. 24, 2010
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Nov. 13, 2010
Illinois 3-2, at PSU, Oct. 8, 2011
Illinois 3-0, at Illinois, Nov. 11, 2011
PSU 3-2, at Illinois, Oct. 6, 2012
Scouting the Fighting Illini
Illinois is 11-13 overall and 5-9 in Big Ten action. The Illini have lost four of their last five matches, with a 3-1 win against Indiana ending the losing streak on Nov. 3. Illinois has also secured league wins against Wisconsin (3-2), Michigan State (3-2), Northwestern (3-2) and an earlier meeting with Indiana (3-1).
Penn State vs. Northwestern
Penn State leads the series with the Wildcats, 43-8. The Nittany Lions visited the Wildcats on Oct. 5 this season and earned a 3-0 win. Penn State has won 17 of the last 18 meetings in three sets.
Last Five Meetings
PSU 3-0, at NU, Oct. 23, 2010
PSU 3-0, at PSU, Nov. 19, 2010
PSU 3-2, at PSU Oct. 5, 2011
PSU 3-0, at NU, Nov. 12, 2011
PSU 3-0, at NU, Oct. 5, 2012
Scouting the Wildcats
Northwestern is 15-10 this season and 4-10 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats own league wins against Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana this season. They are coming off back-to-back three-set sweeps to Purdue and Indiana. Northwestern visits Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 7 before arriving in Happy Valley.
What's Next?
Penn State is back in action on Nov. 16-17 at Indiana and Purdue, respectively. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions close out the regular season at home versus Ohio State on Nov. 21 and Nov. 24 against Michigan State.
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.