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Nov. 10, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball (23-2, 12-2) hits the road for the second straight week, traveling to Iowa (12-15, 2-12) for a midweek matchup Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Nittany Lions are coming off of their eighth straight victory, having defeated Maryland on the road in four sets last Thursday before sweeping past Rutgers on the road Friday evening to close out the week.
FIRST SERVE
* Penn State leads 48-0 in the all-time series against Iowa, having never lost a match against the Hawkeyes, dating back to the first meeting between the two teams in 1991. The Nittany Lions have earned a straight set victory in each out of the last five consecutive outings.
* Two Nittany Lions reached double figures to lead Penn State to a 3-0 win against Iowa at home in the first meeting of the 2015 season Oct. 3, 2015. Senior Megan Courtney led the way with 12 kills and a team-high 13 digs, while sophomore Haleigh Washington added 11. Redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher directed the offense to a .330 hitting percentage, dishing out 34 assists to go along with 10 digs.
* Penn State remained solid at No. 1 for the second straight week in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, collecting 35 first place votes. The Nittany Lions have now been slated No. 1 a total of eight times this season, having spent the first six straight weeks at the top of the poll.
* The Nittany Lions moved to 9-1 this year against teams ranked within the Top 25 of the AVCA Coaches' Poll after defeating the Buckeyes twice in a three-day stretch two weeks ago. Penn State is now 3-0 on the road against Top 25 teams, with a matchup against fourth-ranked Minnesota set for Saturday, Nov. 14 in Minneapolis.
* Penn State has earned 18 of its 23 victories this year by way of a 3-0 sweep, while also limiting its opponents to a .142 hitting percentage. The mark ranks fifth nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Averaging 3.17 blocks per set on the year, Penn State owns a 272.5 - 135.5 advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents in 2015. The average ranks second nationally and leads the Big Ten. Individually, sophomore Haleigh Washington's 1.44 blocks per set ranks 17th nationally and second in the Big Ten.
* Penn State's .297 hitting clip ranks fifth in the NCAA national standings and leads the Big Ten. Helped out by Haleigh Washington's team-high .464 hitting clip, her efficiency ranks second nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Sophomore Simone Lee has stepped up as an offensive contributor for the Nittany Lions, since entering the starting lineup against Nebraska Oct. 2. Since then, she's made starts in each of the last 12 matches. Lee's led the team in kills in three of the last eight outings, posting double figure kills in five of the last nine matches.
* Veterans senior Megan Courtney and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney are also among the group of top Nittany Lion attackers. Averaging 3.08 kills per set, Courtney has had double-doubles (kills/digs) in six of the last 10 matches she's played in. Whitney's averaging 3.12 kills per set with double digit kills in six of the last 10 matches, including of the last three straight.
* Including Penn State, more than half of the Big Ten teams in the conference are featured in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, including seven in the top 25.
* On Wednesday, Nov. 11, BTN will debut a unique look at the country's premier volleyball conference. B1G Volleyball Extravaganza, beginning at 7 p.m. ET, features live look-ins at all 14 Big Ten women's volleyball teams playing in seven conference matches throughout the evening.
* Penn State sophomore Haleigh Washington has been selected to the Academic All-District team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Washington is one of six student-athletes to garner the distinction in the District 2 category.
* In the win against St. John's, Haleigh Washington led a group of five multi-block performers with a career-high 11 total blocks. Her tally is the second highest single-match total in a 3-set match in Penn State program history.
THE MORE THE MERRIER
The Nittany Lions have utilized a balanced offensive attack in matches this season, with a total of four different players averaging at least 2.50 or more kills per set on the year. Penn State's highlighted the season with four players in double figures on three occasions this season (vs. Stanford, vs. Wisconsin and at Illinois). Penn State has been led by three different double digit hitters a total of five times this season (vs. Auburn, vs. Minnesota, vs. Nebraska, at Northwestern, at Michigan). In total, Penn State has had at least three in double figures in eight of 25 matches this season. In conference play, three or four players have fueled the PSU offense with double figure kills in five of 14 Big Ten matches.
SWEEPING VICTORIES
Penn State has earned 18 of its 23 (78%) victories this season by way of a 3-0 sweep. Penn State has also limited Eastern Kentucky, Mississippi State and St. John's to less than 45 total points in a single match, holding the Colonels to a season-low 41 total points. The Red Storm had 43 and Bulldogs had just 42.
WE'LL TAKE THE FIRST ONE
Penn State is 22-1 on the year when winning the first set. The Nittany Lions have surrendered the first just twice this season, most recently dropping a 25-21 opening frame on the road at Maryland. PSU also dropped a 25-18 decision on the road at Northwestern before an eventual 3-2 loss.
ADVANTAGE ON THE BLOCK
Penn State's commanded the advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents this year. To date, Penn State has out-blocked its opponents 272.5 - 135.5, averaging 3.17 blocks per set, which ranks second nationally and leads the conference. Individually, sophomore Haleigh Washington's 1.44 blocks per set ranks 17th nationally and second in the Big Ten. Sophomore Heidi Thelen's 1.13 blocks per set ranks second on the team and 11th in the league, while redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's 1.10 blocks per frame is third on the squad and 13th in the conference.
Penn State has out-blocked its opponent in 23 matches this season, out-blocking each of those teams by an average of at least six blocks. The Nittany Lions tied Stanford in the blocking margin (7.0-7.0) and have been out-blocked just once this season by Minnesota (11.0-13.0).
TOUGH DEFENSE
Penn State has limited its opponents to .142 hitting this season, which ranks first in the Big Ten standings and fifth nationally. PSU has held its opponent to .099 or lower hitting efficiency 11 times and between .135-.196 seven times. Only Stanford (.267) and Iowa (.283) have hit .250 or better against the Nittany Lions. Penn State has only been out-hit by a team three times this season, in matches against Minnesota (.198/.216), Nebraska (.164/.173) and at Northwestern (.193/.211). Despite getting out-hit by the Golden Gophers, PSU outlasted Minnesota in five sets to claim a close 3-2 win.
OFFENSIVE OPTIONS
Redshirt freshman setter Bryanna Weiskircher has directed the Nittany Lions to a .297 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth nationally and leads the Big Ten. Weiskircher has also paced four of her top attackers to just under .250, or better hitting, led by sophomore Haleigh Washington's .464 clip, which ranks second nationally and leads the Big Ten.
Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's .346 hitting percentage is second on the team and seventh in the conference, while sophomore Simone Lee's .261 efficiency is third on the team. Senior Megan Courtney's .248 clip is fourth on the squad. Averaging 3.08 kills per set, Courtney has had double-doubles (kills/digs) in each six of the last 10 matches she's played. Whitney's averaging 3.12 kills per set with double digit kills in six of the last 10 matches, including each of the last three straight outings.
LEE CONTINUES TO CONTRIBUTE
Sophomore Simone Lee has stepped up as an offensive contributor for the Nittany Lions since entering the Penn State starting lineup against Nebraska Oct. 2. Since then, she's made starts in each of the last 12 matches. Lee's led the team in kills in three of the last eight matches, posting double figure kills in five of the last nine outings. She opened the streak with a career-high 14 kills at Northwestern before powering the Penn State offense with 10 and 12 kills against Indiana and Purdue, respectively. She also put down 13 kills on the road at No. 23 Michigan and led the team with 10 kills at Michigan State. In the last nine matches, Lee's averaging 2.52 kills per set on .299 hitting.
HOLCOMB CAN DIG IT
Since her career-high weekend at the Golden Dome Invitational, freshman libero Keeton Holcomb has been a solid defensive option for Penn State. Holcomb averaged 5.33 digs per set in South Bend, highlighting the weekend with back-to-back 20-dig performances in the same day against both Mississippi State and Notre Dame. On the year, Holcomb's leading the team with 3.34 digs per set, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten standings.
IOWA: LAST TIME OUT
Oct. 3, 2015 - (26-24, 25-16, 25-23)
PSU 3, IOWA 0 - University Park, Pa. - Rec Hall
Penn State leads 48-0 in the all-time series against Iowa, having never lost a match against the Hawkeyes, dating back to the first meeting between the two teams in 1991. The Nittany Lions have earned a straight set victory in each out of the last five consecutive outings.
Behind double digit kills from two Nittany Lions, top-ranked Penn State swept past Iowa in three sets in the first meeting of the 2015 season Oct. 3. Megan Courtney led the offense with her fourth consecutive and seventh double-double of the season, posting 12 kills and a team-high 13 digs. Courtney also reached the 1,000 career kills milestone.
Haleigh Washington finished second on the team with 11 kills, while also tying for first on the team with three total blocks. Sophomore Simone Lee and Ali Frantti logged seven kills apiece. Lee added three blocks to tie for first on the squad. Bryanna Weiskircher paced the team to a .330 team hitting percentage, dishing out 34 assists. Weiskircher added 19 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
NITTANY LIONS' REGULAR SEASON FINALE ADDED TO BTN LINEUP
The Big Ten conference has announced that it will televise Penn State's final regular season match of the 2015 season. Penn State takes on Nebraska in the regular season finale on the road in Lincoln Saturday, Nov. 28. First serve is set for 9:30 p.m. ET.
WASHINGTON EARNS CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Penn State sophomore Haleigh Washington has been selected to the Academic All-District team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Washington is one of six student-athletes to garner the distinction in the District 2 category. Washington will now be considered for national honors as an Academic All-American, which is set to be announced near the end of the month. Since 1996, Washington is the 11th different Nittany Lion in program history to earn the distinction and Penn State's 18th overall selection to an Academic All-District team.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn State's four match road trip rolls along as the Nittany Lions prepare for road match with critical Big Ten title implications. PSU travels to Minnesota to square off against the fourth-ranked Golden Gophers Saturday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET. Minnesota presently has a one-match lead in the stands over PSU, but the Nittany Lions claimed the first meeting earlier this season.