Sept. 29, 2014
ROSEMONT, ILL. - After opening the 2014 conference slate with wins against two top-20 teams, seniors Micha Hancock and Dominique Gonzalez have both earned Big Ten weekly honors, as announced by the league this afternoon. Hancock was selected as the Big Ten Setter of the Week while Gonzalez was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week. Gonzalez collects her first career Big Ten Weekly honor while Hancock's is the 14th Setter of the Week nod of her career.
Gonzalez led the team with 6.71 digs per set in a 2-0 week on the road that featured wins against fifth-ranked Wisconsin and No. 17 Minnesota. She posted back-to-back 20-dig performances during the week. After logging 21 digs in a straight set win against the Badgers, she set a season-high mark with 26 digs in the victory against the Gophers, marking the fourth match of the season that she's recorded 20 or more digs. Climbing the Big Ten standings throughout the week, Gonzalez's 3.82 digs per set currently ranks 10th in the conference.
Hancock guided the Nittany Lions to a .273 overall hitting clip during the week, averaging 12.57 assists per set. Individually, she hit .542 during the week without a single attack error. Hancock put down a career-high nine kills on 12 perfect swings for a .750 hitting clip against the Badgers, while also tallying a double-double with 38 assists and 10 digs.
The nation's leader in aces per set also notched at least two aces in both matches this weekend, including three against the Golden Gophers. Averaging 1.10 aces per frame, her mark remains atop the Big Ten and the national standings.
Hancock, Gonzalez and the rest of the No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball team (14-1, 2-0) hit the road this weekend for the second consecutive week of Big Ten play on the road. The Nittany Lions travel to Nebraska to take on the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers Friday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. ET before heading to Iowa to square off against the Hawkeyes Saturday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET. Friday's matchup in Lincoln, Neb. will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Audrey Flaugh on the call.