Sept. 15, 2014
ROSEMONT, ILL. - After helping the No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball team (8-1) claim the Villanova Classic title, two Nittany Lions have earned Big Ten weekly honors, as announced by the conference this afternoon. Senior Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week, while senior Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) was tabbed Setter of the Week.
The pair of honors brings Penn State's 2014 Big Ten Weekly award total to four, as PSU has had at least one recipient every week this season. Grant's accolade marks her first career Big Ten honor, while Hancock's nod is the 15th of her career. Together, the two were key contributors in a 4-0 weekend that featured wins against American, Villanova, Yale and No. 24 Kansas.
Grant powered the Penn State offense with a team-high .618 hitting percentage during the undefeated weekend on the road. She posted double-digit kills in three-of-four matches, recording errorless hitting performances in back-to-back matches against Villanova and Yale. In addition to Villanova Classic All Tournament team honors, Grant also set a career-high mark with an .846 hitting efficiency against the Bulldogs.
Nia GrantDefensively, Grant finished second on the team in blocks, averaging 0.92 per set. Recording four consecutive multi-block matches, she highlighted the weekend with a team high five blocks against American.
Hancock directed the Nittany Lions to a .351 team hitting clip during the week, averaging 11.60 assists per set. On her way to Villanova Classic Most Outstanding Player honors, she logged 21 service aces in the tournament, highlighting the event with a season-high eight aces against American. Averaging 1.62 aces per set, she also tallied six aces against both Villanova and Kansas.
Micha HancockGrant, Hancock and the rest of the Penn State women's volleyball team return home to wrap up the non-conference portion of the 2014 slate with the Penn State Alumni Classic, Sept. 19-20. In conjunction with the Penn State 50 Years of Women in Sport Celebration, PSU welcomes four former Nittany Lions back to the court in Rec Hall.
The four former Nittany Lions returning to the court as head coaches of participating teams include: Eastern Illinois (Kate Price '08), DePaul (Nadia Edwards '01), University of Illinois-Chicago (Katie Schumacher-Cawley '02) and East Carolina (Julie Torbett '90). PSU takes on EIU and DePaul in a doubleheader Friday, Sept. 19 before concluding the event with matchups against UIC and ECU Saturday, Sept. 20. First serve for Saturday evening's match against ECU has been pushed back to 8 p.m.
Both single-match and season tickets for the 2014 Penn State women's volleyball season are now on sale and available for purchase by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Athletics Ticket Office in the Bryce Jordan Center during normal business hours. Season tickets are priced at $84.00 for adults and $56.00 for youth ages 12 and under.