Oct. 2, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Fifth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball (10-2, 1-1) hits the road for its first Big Ten road trip this week, traveling to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers (8-5, 0-2) in a midweek matchup, Thursday, Oct. 3.
The first serve between the two teams is slated for 7 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Kelli Tennant and Sam Gore on the call. Fans can also stream the match live from any smart phone or other mobile device via WatchESPN.
LOOKING BACK AT BIG TEN OPENING WEEKEND
PSU went 1-1 in the opening weekend of Big Ten play with a 3-2 loss to then-No. 15 Michigan State and a 3-1 win against No. 10 Michigan. With the bounce-back win against the Wolverines, the Nittany Lions improved to 24-0 all-time at home in Rec Hall versus Michigan. The last time Penn State opened the conference slate with a 1-1 record was in 2011, with a win against Iowa after a loss to Nebraska on the road.
PENN STATE VS. INDIANA
The Nittany Lions own a 45-1 record in the all-time series against the Hoosiers. The two clubs met twice during the 2012 season, with Penn State capturing a 3-1 win Oct. 13 and a 3-0 victory Nov. 16. The only loss to Indiana came on the road in 2010, when PSU dropped a tough five-setter to IU. Prior to that match, Penn State had posted wins in 40 straight games.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
Indiana enters the week looking to snap a four-game skid that features back-to-back Big Ten losses on the road against then-No. 9 Minnesota and Wisconsin. Despite the outcome, the Hoosiers are still 8-5 on the year.
Four Hoosiers have posted more than 100 kills so far this season, led by Morgan Leach, whose tallied 128, averaging 2.84 per set. Jordan Haverly is close behind with 116, having also recently notched her 1,500th career kill against the Bad¬gers. Awele Nwaeze is leading IU above the net with 37 total blocks, averaging a team-high 0.82 per set. At the service line, Taylor Lebo is averaging 0.33 aces per frame, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten.
HANCOCK STILL LEADING THE NATION IN ACES PER SET
Junior Micha Hancock is leading the nation in aces per set for the fourth straight week, according the third NCAA DI stats release. With a total of 34 aces this season, Hancock is averaging 0.83 per frame, which both ranks first in the Big Ten. With four aces against Eastern Kentucky, Hancock notched her 200th career service ace. Since matching the mark, she's tallied six more to move her just 29 aces away from tying Ellen Hensler (1983-86) for first on the PSU all-time list.
As a team, Penn State is averaging 1.68 aces per set, which ranks 24th nationally and ranks second in the conference. Aside from Hancock, Dominique Gonzalez has also recorded 11 aces, which is tied for second on the squad.
PENN STATE MOVES TO NO. 5 IN LATEST AVCA TOP 25 POLL
After a 1-1 start in Big Ten conference play, the Nittany Lions moved to No. 5 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. PSU received one first-place vote in this weekend's poll as well. Additionally, Penn State received a third-place ranking in the Volleyball Magazine Poll and a fourth-place ranking in the RichKern Poll.
THAT'S SOME HEAVY HITTING
After hitting .394 this week, senior Katie Slay is ranked third nationally in hitting percentage with a .510 clip on the year. She is one of only two in the country with a .500 or better hitting percentage and her mark also leads all student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference. As a team, the Nittany Lions are hitting .333 which ranks fourth in the country and first in the Big Ten.
BLOCK IT UP
The Nittany Lions have combined for 109.5 total blocks in 2013, including 34 solo blocks. As a team, the 2.67 average per set ranks 27th nationally and second in the league. Katie Slay is leading the PSU blocking effort with 1.44 per frame, which leads the Big Ten and ranks 11th nationally.
ROSE WITH 1,101 WINS AND COUNTING
The Penn State win against Yale marked head coach Russ Rose's 1,100th career victory. After adding another win against No. 10 Michigan this past weekend, Rose improves to 1,101 - 177 all-time, which puts him just five wins shy of tying UCLA head coach, Andy Banachowski's mark of 1,106 for second on the all-time list, behind Hawaii head coach, Dave Shoji.
Earlier this season, Shoji surpassed Banachowski's mark, to become the all-time leader in the category. With Banachowksi no longer active, both Rose and Shoji will continue to go head-to-head, battling for the top spot.
UP NEXT ...
Penn State remains on the road, traveling down the road to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers, Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in Holloway Gym.