Sept. 23, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball (12-1) hits the road this weekend to open the 2014 Big Ten slate. Meeting for the first time since the 2013 NCAA national finals, the Nittany Lions travel to Wisconsin (9-1) to square off against the fifth-ranked Badgers in a midweek matchup set for Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET in UW Fieldhouse. The match will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Liz Tortorello-Nelson on the call.
| # 3 PENN STATE AT #5 WISCONSIN | |
| Wednesday, Sept. 24 - 7:30 p.m. ET | |
| UW Fieldhouse | Madison, Wis. | |
| Game Day Information: Tickets | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| TV: BTN (Liz Tortorello-Nelson, Mike Wolf) |
| Live Video | Live Audio | |
| Connect: @PennStateVBALL | Facebook | Instagram | Blog |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Wisconsin |
QUICK SETS
* The Nittany Lions enter the week on a nine-match winning streak that dates back to a straight-set victory against UCLA on the road in Palo Alto, Calif. at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. This past weekend's undefeated stretch at home featured wins against Eastern Illinois, DePaul, UIC and East Carolina.
* Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney earned Penn State Alumni Classic All-Tournament MVP accolades, while senior Dominique Gonzalez earned a spot on the All-Tournament team. The all-tourney recognition marks the second of the 2014 season for the two.
* Penn State served up 15 aces in a straight set victory against DePaul this weekend to match a PSU program record. The Nittany Lions originally set the record for the most amount of aces in a three set match in 2002, posting 15 aces against Fairfield Sept, 7th. PSU's 2.10 aces per set in 2014 presently ranks fifth nationally and first in the conference.
* With four victories this weekend, head coach Russ Rose moved into first place on the NCAA DI all-time list with 1,137 career wins. He passed current Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji (1,136) for the top spot this weekend. With the two coaches still active, they'll continue to go back and forth for the top positioning.
* As a team, the Nittany Lions'.395 overall hitting percentage ranks first nationally and leads the Big Ten. Additionally, four PSU attackers are hitting at .358 or higher, led by senior Nia Grant's .525 hitting clip, which ranks second in the nation and leads the conference. Penn State's 14.71 kills per set on the year also ranks fifth nationally and second in the league.
* Averaging 1.17 aces per set, senior Micha Hancock enters the week as the national leader in the category, with 49 aces on the year. She matched a season-high mark twice last weekend with eight aces against DePaul and East Carolina.
* The Nittany Lions are among six teams from the Big Ten to be featured in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and one of three within the top 10.
* Penn State remains No. 3 in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week. Prior to the No. 3 positioning, the Nittany Lions were slotted No. 1 overall for two weeks.
* PSU has matched up or will soon square off against a total of 10 teams represented in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, including eight matches against teams in the top 25 and two receiving votes.
THAT'S SOME HEAVY HITTING
Senior setter Micha Hancock has paced the Nittany Lions to a .395 overall hitting percentage in 2014, which ranks first in the Big Ten and leads the nation. Hancock's also paced four Nittany Lion hitters to .358 or better hitting efficiency. Individually, senior Nia Grant's .525 hitting clip ranks second in the nation, while also coming in at first in the conference. Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney, junior Megan Courtney and freshman Ali Frantti are all hitting .358 or better, led by Whitney's .429 efficiency.
ROSE TOPS NCAA DI ALL-TIME WINS LIST
Following four wins this weekend, Rose earned victory numb er 1,137 to pass current Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji (1,136) for first on the NCAA DI all-time list. Since the two are still actively coaching, they'll go back and forth for the top spot this season. Rose currently owns the all-time record for NCAA DI career winning percentage, having posted a career clip of .864 in the past 35 seasons. The two are also one of just three active NCAA head coaches in all three divisions to have more than 1,100 career wins.
In 2013, head coach Russ Rose earned his 1,107th victory with a straight-set win at Northwestern, moving him into sole possession of second place on the NCAA DI career wins list. With the triumph, he passed former UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski, who previously owned the record.
THE BEST SERVE IN THE NATION
Hancock's 22 aces across four matches last weekend marked the second consecutive week that she's registered at least 21 aces. Presently averaging 1.17 aces per frame, her mark leads the nation and also ranks first in the conference.
Averaging 0.65 aces per set in 2013, Micha Hancock finished last year ranked second nationally in aces per set. Her final tally also ranked first in the Big Ten. The impressive serving also set a new program record. With four aces against Eastern Kentucky, Hancock notched her 200th career service ace. Building on the mark throughout the season she moved into sole possession of first place on the Penn State all-time list with 254 aces on the year to surpass Ellen Hensler, who set the record in 1986. With 49 aces in 2014, Hancock has improved her mark to 303 aces all-time to keep a firm hold on her all-time record.
WHITNEY, GONZALEZ NAB ALL-TOURNEY HONORS
Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney and senior Dominique Gonzalez earned Penn State Alumni Classic all-tournament honors this weekend. Whitney was selected as the most outstanding player while Gonzalez earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
Whitney posted a team-high .600 hitting clip during the undefeated weekend, registering a career-high two aces against DePaul and a squad-best 13 kills on 18 errorless swings against UIC. Gonzalez continued her steady play from the backrow, averaging a team-high 2.50 digs per set across four matches. She highlighted the weekend with 10 digs against UIC.
HANCOCK EARNS SECOND CONSECUTIVE BIG TEN SETTER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Following and undefeated weekend at home, senior Micha Hancock earned her second consecutive Big Ten Setter of the Week honor. Hancock shares her 13th career Setter of the Week award this week with Wisconsin's Lauren Carlini.
Hancock directed the Nittany Lion offense to a .490 overall team hitting percentage over the weekend as Penn State picked up wins against Eastern Illinois, DePaul, UIC and East Carolina to earn the Penn State Alumni Classic title. Totaling at least 21 aces for the second straight week, Hancock highlighted the weekend with two or more aces in every match this weekend. Averaging 1.83 aces per set with 22 aces on the week, she matched a season-high mark with eight aces against both DePaul and East Carolina.
BUST OUT THE BROOMS
Penn State has earned 11 of its 12 (92%) victories this season in straight sets. Within those 11 sweeps, PSU has held five teams (Iona, William & Mary, Eastern Illinois, DePaul, East Carolina) to less than 40 total points scored in a single match. Last season, the Nittany Lions earned 23 of their 34 victories in 3-0 sweeps.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Nittany Lions remain on the road this week, traveling to No. 15 Minnesota to take on the Badgers Saturday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET in the Pavilion. The matchup will air live on ESPN3 and then once more on tape delay Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.