Sep 2, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following an undefeated opening weekend at Rec Hall in the Penn State Invitational, the Penn State women's volleyball team (2-0) has earned the No. 1 ranking in the nation according to the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll.
PSU earned 50 of a possible 60 first-place votes to take the top spot in the weekly standings.
This weekend, the Lions enjoyed a trio of straight-set victories, defeating Dabrowa, a professional Polish team in an exhibition on Friday and then Syracuse and then-No. 19 Louisville the following evening. Junior setter Micha Hancock earned Penn State Invitational MVP for her efforts, while senior Katie Slay and redshirt freshman Paulina Prieto Cerame joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
Next up, Penn State will travel to Austin, Texas to compete in the Nike Big Four Tournament. The Nittany Lions will face some of its toughest non-conference foes in the event, with a matchup against No. 6 Texas slated for Saturday, Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. ET. To conclude the weekend, PSU returns to action against No. 8 Florida, Sunday, Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. ET. All matches will be broadcast live on the Longhorn Network.
This year, all four participants in the event are ranked within the top 10, marking the highest-ranking Nike Big Four since 2010, when all four squads were also slotted in the top 10. Rounding out the group of tough competitors this year is Stanford, which earned the No. 2 spot in the poll this week.
Single-game and season-tickets for the 2013 are still on sale. Fans interested in purchasing tickets can call 1-800-NITTANY or stop by the Athletics Ticket Office in the Bryce Jordan Center during normal business hours. The 2013 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.