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Nov. 13, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball (24-2, 13-2) hits the road once again, heading to No. 4 Minnesota (22-3, 14-1) for a weekend matchup with critical Big Ten title implications. First serve between the Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers is set for 8 p.m. ET in Minneapolis.
Penn State enters the matchup having won its last nine consecutive matches, including a straight set victory on the road at Iowa earlier this week. At 14-1 in the conference play, Minnesota has a one-match lead in the standings, having won its last 13 straight matches, dating back to Sept. 26, 2015, when the Nittany Lions outlasted the Golden Gophers in five sets in the first meeting of the season.
FIRST SERVE
* Five Nittany Lions had at least six kills in Penn State's 3-0 win at Iowa this week, led by double figure kills from redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti. Frantti led the way with 11 kills while Whitney tallied 10.
* Penn State has won its last 10 consecutive matches against Minnesota. Most recently, the Nittany Lions outlasted the Golden Gophers in a close five-set victory at home in the first meeting of the 2015 season. PSU owns a 45-8 advantage in the all-time series against Minnesota.
* Four Nittany Lions reached double figures in Penn State's 3-2 win against then-No. 21 Minnesota earlier this season. Senior Megan Courtney logged a double-double with a career-high 22 kills and 13 digs. Ali Frantti, Aiyana Whitey and Haleigh Washington totaled 13 kills each.
* 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 3-0 on the road against Top 25 teams, heading into the matchup at Minnesota.
* Penn State has earned 19 of its 24 victories this year by way of a 3-0 sweep, while also limiting its opponents to a .145 hitting percentage. The mark ranks seventh nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Averaging 3.17 blocks per set on the year, Penn State owns a 282.5 - 138.5 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 .298 hitting clip ranks fifth in the NCAA national standings and leads the Big Ten. Helped out by Haleigh Washington's team-high .453 hitting clip, her efficiency ranks third 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 has made starts in each of the last 13 matches. Lee's led the team in kills in three of the last nine outings, posting double figure kills in five of the last 10 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 11 matches she's played in. Whitney's averaging 3.12 kills per set with double digit kills in seven of the last 11 matches, including of the last four 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.
* 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.
WEISKIRCHER EARNS FIRST CAREER BIG TEN WEEKLY HONOR
After helping the team to a home-and-home sweep against then-No. 11 Ohio State, redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher earned Big Ten Setter of the Week honors. The award marks the first time in her career she's received Big Ten weekly recognition. Weiskircher paced the team to a .358 hitting percentage in a 2-0 week that featured a pair of wins against the Buckeyes. Averaging 11.00 assists per set, Weiskircher directed the Nittany Lion offense to team hitting clips of .349 or better in each outing.
In the midweek match at Ohio State, she posted her eighth double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs in the straight set win. In the next outing, she put down a career-high five kills on six errorless swings against the Buckeyes, adding six digs and two aces. On the year, Weiskircher's guided the team to a .291 hitting percentage, which leads the Big Ten conference and ranks fifth nationally. From the end line, she's also tallied 31 aces on the year. Weiskircher's 0.35 aces per frame is tops in the Big Ten standings.
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 has made starts in each of the last 13 matches. Lee's led the team in kills in three of the last nine matches, posting double figure kills in five of the last 10 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 2.47 kills per set on .305 hitting.
WEEK 12: AVCA TOP 25 COACHES' POLL UPDATE
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. Including PSU, this week's poll features half of the Big Ten conference teams with seven teams in the top 25. Michigan is also receiving votes.
LAST TIME OUT: MINNESOTA
Sept. 26, 2015 - (25-22, 25-16, 19-25, 20-25, 15-12)
PSU 3, MIN 2 - University Park, Pa. - Rec Hall
No. 1 Penn State outlasted No. 21 Minnesota in five sets in the first meeting of the 2015 season at Rec Hall in front of a crowd featuring 5,039 fans.
Four Nittany Lions fueled the Penn State offense with double figure kills for the second consecutive outing. Megan Courtney led the way with her fifth double-double of the season, posting a match-high 22 kills to go along with 13 digs and five blocks. Aiyana Whitney, and Ali Frantti and Haleigh Washington rounded out the group with 13 kills each. Washington finished tied for first on the team with five total blocks, while Frantti and Whitney added nine and five digs, respectively.
Four Nittany Lions also recorded double digit digs in the win, led by 18 digs from libero Keeton Holcomb. Bryanna Weiskircher logged 12 digs, while also passing out a career-high 54 assists for her second double-double of the season. Taylor Krause logged a career-high 10 digs.
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.
ADVANTAGE ON THE BLOCK
Penn State has commanded the advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents this year. To date, Penn State has out-blocked its opponents 282.5 - 138.5, 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 12th in the league, while redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's 1.11 blocks per frame is third on the squad and 13th in the conference.
Penn State has out-blocked its opponent in 24 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).
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
Penn State has limited its opponents to .145 hitting this season, which ranks first in the Big Ten standings and seventh 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 .298 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 .453 clip, which ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten.
Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's .353 hitting percentage is second on the team and sixth in the conference, while sophomore Simone Lee's .266 efficiency is third on the team. Senior Megan Courtney's .247 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 11 matches she's played. Whitney's averaging 3.12 kills per set with double digit kills in seven of the last 11 matches, including each of the last four straight outings.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Including an 11-1 mark in 2015, Penn State owns a 575-32 (.947) all-time record at home in Rec Hall. After the Ohio State win last week, Penn State is 263-18 all-time against Big Ten opponents at Rec Hall. Only the Buckeyes have defeated the Nittany Lions on their home court more than three times, having topped PSU five times. Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State and Nebraska are the only four teams to beat PSU at home more than once.
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 2.55 or more kills per set on the year. Penn State has 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 26 matches this season. In conference play, three or four players have fueled the PSU offense with double figure kills in five of 15 Big Ten matches.
SWEEPING VICTORIES
Penn State has earned 19 of its 24 (79%) 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 23-1 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.
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.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn State returns home briefly for a pair of Big Ten conference matches. The Nittany Lions host Michigan in a midweek matchup Wednesday, Nov. 18 before closing out the week with a match against Maryland Saturday, Nov. 21 at Rec Hall.