Oct. 7, 2014
| # 5 PENN STATE VS. #24 NORTHWESTERN | |
| Wednesday, Oct. 8 - 7:30 p.m. ET | |
| University Park, Pa. | Rec Hall | |
| Game Day Links: Tickets | Bag Policy | Seating Diagram | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| TV: BTN (Liz Tortorello-Nelson, Mike Wolf) |
| Live Video | |
| Connect: @PennStateVBALL | Facebook | Instagram | Blog |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Northwestern |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Fresh off a four-match road swing, No. 5 Penn State women's volleyball (15-2, 3-1) returns home to welcome its first Big Ten conference opponent to Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions are set to square off against No. 24 Northwestern (13-2, 3-1) in a midweek matchup Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The match will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Liz Tortorello-Nelson on the call.
QUICK SETS
* The Nittany Lions opened the 2014 Big Ten slate with four consecutive matches on the road. Penn State went 3-1 overall with a pair of wins against top 20 teams (No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 17 Minnesota). PSU dropped a four-set decision on the road at No. 8 Nebraska, snapping an 11-match winning streak before bouncing back with a three-set win at Iowa.
* Penn State will square off against its sixth ranked team of the season when it takes on Northwestern this week. PSU is 3-2 against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 this season.
* Averaging 1.05 aces per set, senior Micha Hancock enters the week as the nation's leader in the category for the fourth consecutive week. As a team, Penn State is averaging 2.02 aces per set, which ranks second nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Penn State's .356 hitting percentage leads the nation and ranks first in the Big Ten. Additionally, four PSU attackers are presently hitting .331 or higher, led by senior Nia Grant's .487 hitting clip, which is slotted third nationally and leads the conference. The Nittany Lions are also out-hitting their opponents, .356-.130.
* PSU moved to No. 5 in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll this week after spending the past four consecutive weeks ranked third. Prior to the No. 3 positioning, the Nittany Lions were ranked first overall for two weeks.
* The Nittany Lions are among seven teams from the Big Ten to be featured in this week's AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and one of three within the top 10.
* With 1,140 wins, head coach Russ Rose is presently tied with current head coach Dave Shoji for first on the NCAA DI all-time list.
DEFENDING THE HOUSE
Including a perfect 7-0 mark in 2014, Penn State owns a 553-32(.945) all-time record at home in Rec Hall. Heading into Big Ten conference play at home, the Nittany Lions hold a 249-18 (.933) mark in 22 years of league matches on the court in Rec Hall. Only three Big Ten teams have defeated the Nittany Lions on their home court three or more times including Ohio State (5), Michigan (3) and Michigan State (3). Penn State has posted unblemished records in Big Ten play at home in seven of the last 10 years.
DOM CAN DIG IT
Leading the team in digs in 15 of 17 matches this season, senior libero Dominique Gonzalez highlighted last weekend's Big Ten season opener with her third 20-dig performance of the season before following with a season-high mark of 26 digs in a 3-1 win at No. 17 Minnesota. Having broke into the conference standings two weeks ago, she presently leads the squad with 3.79 digs per frame, which ranks 10th in the Big Ten.
THAT'S SOME HEAVY HITTING
Senior setter Micha Hancock has paced the Nittany Lions to a .372 hitting clip, which ranks first in the nation, while also leading the Big Ten. Hancock's also paced four Nittany Lion hit¬ters to.331 or better efficiency, led by senior Nia Grant's .487 hitting clip, which ranks third nationally and first in the conference. Redshirt junior Aiyana Whitney, junior Megan Courtney and freshman Ali Frantti are all hitting .331 or better, led by Whitney's .377 hitting percentage, which is slotted fifth in the Big Ten standings.
THE BEST SERVE IN THE NATION
Having tallied five aces in a 1-1 week on the road, senior Micha Hancock is presently averaging 1.05 aces per set in 2014. Her mark ranks first nationally for the fourth consecutive week, while also ranking atop the Big Ten conference standings. Hancock closed out the last two weeks of the non-conference slate with back-to-back weeks featuring at least 21 aces.
Averaging 0.65 aces per set in 2013, Hancock finished last year ranked second nationally in aces per set. Her final tally also ranked first in the Big Ten. The impressive serving set a new program record. With four aces against Eastern Kentucky, she notched her 200th career ser¬vice 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 previously set the record in 1986. With 59 aces in 2014, Hancock has improved her mark to 313 aces all-time to keep a firm hold on her all-time record.
WEEK 7: AVCA TOP 25 COACHES POLL UPDATE
Following a 1-1 weekend on the road, Penn State moved to No. 5 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, after spending the past four consecutive weeks ranked third. Prior to the No. 3 positioning, PSU spent two consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 overall.
A CLEAN SWEEP
Penn State has earned 13 of its 15 (86%) victories this season in straight sets. Within those 13 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.
FORCE OF THE FROSH
Six freshman have made their collegiate debuts for Penn State in the last six weeks, including Ali Frantti, Heidi Thelen, Simone Lee, Lainy Pierce, Haleigh Washington and Skylar Dykstra.
All ranked within PrepVolleyball.com's top 10, Frantti, Lee and Washington are already making solid contributions this season. Averaging a team-high 3.38 kills per set on .338 hitting, Frantti's hitting clip ranks 11th in the Big Ten. Frantti has started every match for the Nittany Lions in 2014. Lee ranks fifth on the squad with 106 kills on the year, averaging 2.30 per set on .234 hitting. Frantti and Lee have each recorded more than 100 kills in their rookie campaigns. Frantti's highlight of the season came with a double-double performance at then-No. 2 Stan¬ford with 22 kills and 11 digs. Lee capped off a productive weekend in Palo Alto, Calif. as well with her second double-digit kill performance of the season with 11 kills against UCLA. Lee followed that with a team-high 12 kills in the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin.
Pierce saw time on the court during key points of the match against the Cardinal, tallying her first collegiate ace. Despite missing the first two weeks of the season, Washington's averaging 2.57 kills per set on .489 hitting, having played in 27 sets. Washington made her rookie debut in the Villanova Classic, finishing third on the team with six kills on .545 hitting against Yale, adding a solo stuff. She made her Big Ten debut on the road last weekend at Iowa, registering a pair of kills and a solo block.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn State remains home for the rest of the week, welcoming another Big Ten team to the court in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions host No. 15 Illinois Saturday, Oct. 11 at 4 p.m.