Aug. 27, 2015
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Fresh off their second consecutive and seventh NCAA national championship in program history, Penn State women's volleyball is set to open the 40th season of women's volleyball at Penn State. The Nittany Lions kick off the 2015 campaign this weekend hosting the Penn State Classic in Rec Hall. PSU opens the season against Buffalo Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. before meeting Stony Brook and Villanova in a doubleheader Saturday, Aug. 29 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
In his 37th season at the helm of the program, head coach Russ Rose returns four starters and 12 letterwinners from last year's NCAA national championship team.
This year, the Nittany Lions enter the season with some sizable question marks, tasked with replacing a core group of senior leadership. First there's three-time All-American and 2014 AVCA DI National Player of the Year Micha Hancock, who set the Nittany Lions to both championship crowns in 2013-14, while also impressing from the end line with her clutch serve. Then there's three-year starting libero Dominique Gonzalez, and defensive specialist Lacey Fuller who commanded the backrow. Lastly, there's two-time All-American Nia Grant, who frequently led the nation in hitting efficiency throughout the 2014 season.
Despite the departures, the Nittany Lions return plenty of potential when it comes to finding new ways to win. This year's senior group features experienced hitters in Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney as well as defensive specialists Kendall Pierce and Lara Caraway. From last year's top-ranked freshman recruiting class, All-American and National Freshman of the Year Ali Frantti and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Haleigh Washington highlight the large class that has already gained the taste of a national title.
QUICK SETS
* Penn State opens the 2015 season at home for the third consecutive season, welcoming Buffalo, Stony Brook and Villanova to the court in Rec Hall.
* The Nittany Lions will square off against a familiar face in the season-opener against Buffalo, guided by first-year head coach Blair Lipsitz (Brown). Lipsitz was a four-time NCAA national champion and two-time All-American at Penn State from 2007-10 (graduated in spring 2011).
* Penn State was voted No. 1 overall in the 2015 AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, earning 54 of a possible 62 first-place votes.
* PSU has matchups set for 11 teams represented in the AVCA preseason poll, including eight matchups against teams in the top 25 and three receiving votes.
* The Nittany Lions are among six teams from the Big Ten to be ranked within the AVCA preseaÂson top 25 and one of four within the top 10.
* Penn State was voted No. 1 in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 10th time in the last 11 years. Four Nittany Lions earned preseason All-Big Ten honors.
* Penn State is 31-7-1 all-time in season-openers, having swept TCU in the first match of the 2014 season. The win against the Horned Frogs marked the Nittany Lions' third consecutive season-opening victory.
* PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The Nittany Lions are set to host Back to School night in Rec Hall Friday evening. Fans will receive Penn State women's volleyball notebooks and pencils while supplies last at the PSU matches against Buffalo. Additionally, the Nittany Lions will raise the 2014 NCAA national championship banner in a special prematch ceremony Saturday evening before taking on Villanova.
PENN STATE ANNOUNCES LIVE AUDIO IN 2015
Beginning in 2015, Penn State fans worldwide will be able to tune into a live audio broadcast. The audio broadcast will be available exclusively on GoPSUSports.com and offered to all fans free of charge. This weekend's matches will feature current Penn State men's hockey broadÂcaster Brian Tripp on play-by-play, joined by PSU junior defensive specialist Laura Broerman.
PENN STATE TOPS AVCA PRESEASON POLL RANKINGS
Penn State women's volleyball earned the No. 1 overall ranking in the 2015 AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second consecutive season. Penn State is among six Big Ten schools to be ranked within the AVCA Top 25 and one of four conference programs to be voted within the top 10. Penn State received 54 of a possible 62 votes in the preseason poll.
Tied at No. 5, Nebraska and Wisconsin join the Nittany Lions in the top five, while Illinois rounds out the top 10 at No. 8. Ohio State is slated No. 14 and Michigan State is slotted No. 19. Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan also represent the league in the poll, as all three are receiving votes. Since 2007, Penn State has been ranked within the top three of every AVCA preseason poll, having also been voted No. 1 a total of six times (2008-11, 2014-15).
AVCA PRESEASON POLL OPPONENTS ON DECK
Penn State will square off against a total of 11 teams featured in the 2015 AVCA preseason poll, including eight teams ranked within the top 25 and three receiving votes. In addition to six matches against Big Ten opponents ranked within the top 25, PSU will also host No. 2 Stanford and No. 24 Colorado at home in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge Sept. 4-5 in Rec Hall.
NITTANY LIONS NAMED BIG TEN PRESEASON FAVORITE
Penn State earned the No. 1 ranking in the 2015 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll, marking the 10th time in the last 11 years the Nittany Lions have been picked to win the league. The Big Ten Preseason poll is selected by votes from all 14 conference head coaches.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is well represented on the Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten team, with more selecÂtions than any other conference program this year. 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year HaÂleigh Washington highlights Penn State's four preseason All-Big Ten honorees as a unanimous selection. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney, senior Megan Courtney and sophomore Ali Frantti round out the group of honorees.
ROSE ENTERS YEAR 37 ATOP THE NCAA ALL-TIME WINS LIST
With an all-time record of 1,161-180, few have come close to matching head coach Russ Rose's impressive win total. Following a 4-0 weekend in the Penn State Classic, Penn State head coach Russ Rose moved into first place on the active DI NCAA career wins list with 1,136 victories, ahead of Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji. The two went back and forth throughout the season, but Penn State's run to its seventh NCAA national championship in 2014 vaulted Rose 11 wins ahead of Shoji, placing him firmly atop the active division I career standings at the conclusion of the season with 1,161 wins.
On the list of winningest coaches of all time, Rose's 1,161-180 tally is unmatched at first place. Along with Shoji and former UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski, the three are the only DI coaches in NCAA women's volleyball coaching history to total 1,100 or more victories.
WHITNEY JOINS BIG TEN FOREIGN TOUR
Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney joined the inaugural Big Ten Women's Volleyball Foreign Tour this summer. For the first time in conference history, Big Ten volleyball student-athletes from all 14 schools traveled overseas to both compete, and participate in community services iniÂtiatives. Whitney and the Big Ten Volleyball Foreign Tour Team traveled to Slovenia, Croatia and Italy this summer, opening the trip in Maribor, Slovenia. Northwestern's Keylor Chan served as the team's head coach, while Indiana's Paul Koncir and Rutgers' Phuong Louong traveled as assistant coaches.
PENN STATE IN SEASON-OPENERS
Penn State is 31-7-1 all-time in season-openers after sweeping TCU in the first match of the 2014 season. The win against the Horned Frogs marked the Nittany Lions' third consecutive season-opening victory.
NITTANY LION ALUM AT THE 2015 ESPY AWARDS
Penn State alum Micha Hancock was nominated for an ESPN ESPY for the second consecutive season. Nominated for Best Female Collegiate Athlete, her nomination marked the fourth time a PSU women's volleyball student-athlete was up for an ESPY. Megan Hodge earned a nomÂination in 2010, following the '09 season, while Blair Brown was selected in 2011 following the '10 season. Hancock is the first in program history to receive back-to-back nominations.
WHO'S BACK
The Nittany Lions return plenty of potential when it comes to finding new ways to win. This year's senior group features experienced hitters in Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney as well as defensive specialists Kendall Pierce and Lara Caraway. From last year's top-ranked freshman recruiting class, All-American and DI National Freshman of the Year Ali Frantti and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Haleigh Washington highlight the large class that has already gained the taste of a national title.
Returning second team AVCA All-Americans Aiyana Whitney and Frantti are among an experiÂenced group of top attackers. Courtney started all 39 matches for the Nittany Lions during the 2014 season, finishing third on the team with 2.44 kills per set and second on the squad with 2.34 digs per set. She highlighted the year with a clutch career-high performance in the NCAA national semifinals before going on to earn 2014 NCAA Championship MVP honors.
The Nittany Lions also return options at the middle position as well. Sophomore Haleigh WashÂington has emerged as one of the top returners in group. Washington burst on to the scene in September after an injury sidelined her for the opening portion of the season. In 25 appearÂances on the court, she finished first on the team with a .463 hitting percentage, while also tallying 96 blocks. With the ability to play multiple positions in the front row, redshirt senior All-American Aiyana Whitney could also be an option at the middle position this year, along with sophomore Heidi Thelen.
EXPERIENCED SENIOR CORE
Comprised of four, this year's senior class features Lara Caraway, Megan Courtney, Kendall Pierce and Aiyana Whitney. Playing all together at the same time, the four have a combined record of 103-8 in three years, as well as a 56-4 mark in Big Ten matches. Along with back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2012 and 2013, the veteran class also boasts back-to-back NCAA nationÂal titles from 2013-14. Having made it to the final four in the last three consecutive seasons, the four have an NCAA tournament record of 16-1.
SPOTS TO FILL
Perhaps one of Penn State's top priorities this season will be at the setting position, replacing Hancock, who ended her career atop both the NCAA and Big Ten career aces lists. Departures from Dominque Gonzalez and Lacey Fuller present another top priority for the Nittany Lions heading into the 2015 season. Gonzalez closed out her collegiate career ranked fourth all-time in the Penn State record book with 1,474 digs.
WHO'S NEW
Penn State's 2015 freshman class features a little bit of everything, including setter Wilma Rivera (Carolina, Puerto Rico), defensive specialist Keeton Holcomb (Belville, Texas), middle blocker Tori Gorrell (Ontario, Canada) and right side Jelena Novaković (Belgrade, Serbia).
Tori Gorrell » Gorrell attended Abbey Park High School in Oakville, Ontario, helping Abbey Park to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association AAA volleyball championship. In addition to helping the team to an undefeated season, she also led the squad to Halton Tier I and Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference AA titles.
Keeton Holcomb » A four-year letterwinner and team MVP at Belville, she earned AAA First Team All-State honors in 2013-14, as well as Texas Sports Writers Association All-State honors in 2013. Holcomb is a MaxPreps Second Team All-American, having also been named to the 2014 Under Armour All-American watch list. Played club with Houston Juniors.
Jelena Novaković » Novaković helped Red Star to a National Cup title in 2014 and a silver medal at the 2014 Championship, while also earning MVP honors at the U17 Belgrade TourÂnament. She earned gold at the European Championship with the U19 Serbian Junior National Team in 2014, as well as another gold medal at the Balkan Championship in Subotica, Serbia.
Wilma Rivera » Rivera was a four-year team captain and senior MVP at Saint Francis School. She helped her high school squad to the 2014 Puerto Rico Lopa El Nuevo Dia Championships, while also earning LACC All-State Best Setter and MVP honors in the same year. Rivera also competed on the Puerto Rican Junior National Team.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn State remains home next weekend, welcoming a pair of nationally ranked opponents to the court in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will host the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge Sept. 4-5, welcoming No. 24 Colorado and No. 2 Stanford for a pair of challenging matchups. [TICKETS]