Dec. 7, 2013
Penn State NCAA Tournament Central I Printable 2013 NCAA Bracket I Updated Utah Match Notes
VIDEO: Penn State NCAA Tournament Preview, Stats & More
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A trip to the NCAA Regional Semifinals is on the line as the No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball team (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) hosts Utah (21-12, 9-11 Pac 12) in the second of the NCAA Tournament. The first serve is set for Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Fans can catch a free live stream of the match, provided by BTN.com. The contest will also stream live on BTN2go, which is available online or via the mobile app.
ROUND ONE IN REVIEW
The Nittany Lions pushed past LIU Brooklyn in straight-sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-14) Friday evening in Rec Hall to advance to the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. With the victory, the Nittany Lions improved to 28-5 in the first round of the event and 6-0 all-time against the Blackbirds. Penn State has won its last 24 consecutive first round matchups, having posted sweeps against each team. PSU also stretched its winning streak to 20 consecutive matches.
Senior Ariel Scott led the offense with nine kills on .348 hitting, while also contributing three blocks. Senior Katie Slay posted eight kills on a squad-best .412 hitting clip, registering two digs and six blocks. Junior Nia Grant tallied six kills and one dig, while leading the Nittany Lions blocking unit with seven total blocks, including one solo stop. Two others recorded multi-block performances, including junior Micha Hancock, who had five and senior Deja McClendon, who had three blocks, seven kills and a match-high 10 digs. Hancock also totaled a team-high four aces.
PENN STATE vs. UTAH
Penn State holds a 2-0 mark in the all-time series against the Utes, having earned both wins during the 1983 season. The Nittany Lions recorded a close 3-2 victory in the first meeting between the two teams on the road Sept. 21, 1983, before claiming a 2-0 victory the next day at the BYU Invitational.
SCOUTING THE UTES
Utah improved to 21-12 on the year after rallying for a 3-1 victory against Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After losing set one, 29-27, the Utes posted 25-15, 26-24, and 25-16 wins in the next three sets to secure the win. The triumph marked the first NCAA Tournament win for the Utes since 2008.
A trio featuring Erin Brandon-Redd, Shelby Dalton and Morgan Odale are at the helm of the Utah offense, pacing the team with at least 2.30 kills per set each. Dalton's leading the group with 2.67 kills per frame, while Brandon-Redd's .323 hitting clip ranks third on the team. Odale's 24 aces ranks first on the squad, while her 2.29 digs per set ranks second on the team behind Chelsey Schofield, who's averaging 3.22 digs per set. Brandon-Redd is also atop the Utah blocking unit as well, averaging 1.40 per set. Bailey Bateman is close behind, averaging 1.26 blocks per frame.
SUCCESS IN THE SECOND ROUND
PSU has earned the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament 27 times since 1981, having welcomed a trio of tournament teams to the court in Rec Hall for the opening rounds of the event in the last 23 consecutive years. The Nittany Lions are 18-5 all-time in round two of the tourney, having posted wins in the last 10 consecutive matches in its second NCAA Tournament outing.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Nittany Lions enter Saturday's match against Utah after securing a 3-0 win against LIU Brooklyn to stretch the all-time record in the first round to 28-5. With a 78-26 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, Penn State has totaled 10 trips to the National Semifinals ('93, '94, '97, '98, '99, '07, '08, '09, '10, '12), seven appearances in the NCAA title match ('93, '97, '98, '99, '07, '08, '09, '10) and five National Championships ('99, '07, '08, '09, '10).
TICKETS PLEASE!
Single-match tickets to the 2013 NCAA Tournament second round at Penn State are priced at $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Fans can purchase their tickets at the door in Rec Hall prior to the match, or purchase them over the phone by calling 1-800 -NITTANY.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Should Penn State knock off Utah, the Nittany Lions will travel to Lexington, KY. to take on either the winner of the Kentucky vs. Duquesne match or the winner of the Ohio vs. Michigan State match in the Regional Semifinals on Dec.13, 2013.