Nov. 18, 2013
ROSEMONT, ILL. - Following an important 2-0 weekend on the road, senior Katie Slay has earned her second consecutive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor. Last week, Slay helped the No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball team (24-2, 15-1) to a pair of straight-set victories at No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 11 Minnesota, which extended the Nittany Lion winning streak to 15 consecutive matches.
Slay led the PSU blocking effort in both matches, posting at least eight blocks against each opponent, averaging 2.67 blocks per frame on the week. Against the Badgers, Slay put down four kills, adding three digs and a match-high eight blocks. The next evening, Slay posted another eight blocks, including one solo stuff to go along with seven kills on .313 hitting.
Overall, her 1.68 blocks per set leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally, while her .403 hitting percentage ranks third in the conference and 18th in the national standings. Slay picked up Defensive Player of the Week honors last week for her performances against Purdue and Indiana, bringing her career total to nine conference honors. This week's defensive laurel is the eighth of her career.
Slay the rest of the Nittany Lions will host their final regular season home matches of the season this week, welcoming Northwestern and Illinois to the court in Rec Hall. Penn State squares off against the Wildcats Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Fighting Illini Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday's matchup is Senior Night, where all six members of the 2013 senior class will be honored for their careers and accomplishments prior to the start of the match.
To view the complete Big Ten Weekly Awards release, please visit www.bigten.org.