Oct. 25, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 2 Penn State is back in action following a 3-0 victory earlier this week. The Nittany Lions (17-2, 8-1) will look to extend their winning streak to nine consecutive matches, hosting Iowa (10-11, 1-8) Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Halloween in coming early in Happy Valley and the Nittany Lions are celebrating with a costume contest. All children 12 and under will receive free admission to Saturday's match against Iowa if they come dressed up. Students are also encouraged to attend the match in costume. Prizes will be awarded to the top three kids and top three students after a fan vote during the intermission.
PENN STATE POWERS PAST NO. 24 OHIO STATE
Senior Deja McClendon led No. 2 Penn State to a 3-0 sweep against No. 24 Ohio State on Dig Pink night at Rec Hall. With the victory, the Nittany Lions have improved their conference winning streak to eight consecutive matches.
McClendon registered a team-high 10 kills on .500 hitting, adding nine digs, two blocks and a season-high two aces. Junior Nia Grant matched a season-high mark with six blocks, including one solo stop, while also tallying three kills, one ace and four digs. Junior Micha Hancock directed the Nittany Lion offense to a .333 hitting clip, dishing out 23 assists and 11 digs for a double-double, adding three aces and three blocks.
PSU limited OSU to a -.030 hitting clip, surrendering less than 10 kills in sets one and two, including just four in the first frame. The mark is the first time the Lions have held a Big Ten opponent to a negative attacking percentage since Nov. 5, 2008, when PSU limited Indiana to a -.020 clip in a 3-0 win at Rec Hall.
NITTANY LIONS VS. IOWA
Penn State has an unblemished 44-0 record in the all-time series against the Hawkeyes. The Nittany Lions kicked off the winning streak against Iowa with a 3-0 win on the road Oct. 18, 1991. Since the first meeting between the two clubs, PSU has posted straight-set victories in 36 of the 44 outings, with just one match in history going into five sets. Of the matches going longer than three sets, Penn State has only surrendered nine sets to the Hawkeyes in program history.
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa is out to a 10-11 start in 2013. After snapping an eight-match losing streak with a 3-2 win against Indiana for the first Big Ten win of the season, the Hawkeyes lost 3-0 in their most recent outing at No. 13 Nebraska. With the loss, Iowa moves to 1-8 in the conference.
Alex Lovell is at the helm of the Hawkeye offense, pacing the squad with 3.67 kills per frame. Following Lovell is Rachel Bedell, Alessandra Dietz, Lauren Brobst and Erin Radke, who all have registered more than 100 kills in 2013, led by Dietz, who's leading the team with a .306 hitting clip. On the defensive side, Bethany Yeager is leading the team with 344 digs, averaging 4.14 per frame, while Dietz is atop the blocking unit with 75 total blocks, including 13 solo blocks.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
In the match against Indiana, the Nittany Lions posted a .507 hitting percentage against the Hoosiers, which is the highest PSU has hit against a league opponent so far this season. Penn State also held IU to just 45 total points across three sets, including just eight in the third frame.
Against Ohio State, PSU surrendered 36 total points to set a new low in points surrendered this season. The mark is the fewest number of points Penn State has given up to a Big Ten opponent since 25-point set scoring began in 2008.
WHAT'S NEXT
Penn State hits the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten matches against some familiar foes. The Nittany Lions travel to Michigan and Michigan State for back-to-back tilts Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2.