Bag Policy - Parking - Seating Chart - Tickets
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Nov. 20, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Fourth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball (24-4, 13-4) is set to close out the week at home, welcoming Maryland (13-18, 3-14) to Rec Hall Saturday, Nov. 21. First serve between the Nittany Lions and the Terrapins is slated for 7 p.m.
Penn State won the first meeting between the two teams, 3-1, on the road in College Park earlier this month. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Haleigh Washington helped the Nittany Lion rally from behind for the four set victory on the road with double figure kills.
Promotional Spotlight: Penn State women's volleyball will offer fans a $4 ticket to the match with proof of their Penn State vs. Michigan football ticket. Fans may show their football ticket stub at the doors at Rec Hall on game day to take advantage of the discounted ticket.
QUICK SETS
* Penn State has won its last 18 straight matches against Maryland, including the road win earlier this season. The Nittany Lions lead 21-5 in the all-time series against the Terps, having also captured wins in all nine outings against Maryland at home in Rec Hall.
* Earlier this week, the Nittany Lions fell short in a 3-1 loss to Michigan at home in Rec Hall. Three Nittany Lions put down double figure kills for the seventh time this season, led by 12 from sophomore Haleigh Washington. Sophomore Ali Frantti and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney added 10 kills each.
* The Nittany Lions also recorded a Big Ten-high seven aces in the match against Michigan, helped out by aces from four different Nittany Lions. Sophomore Simone Lee led the way with a career-high three service aces.
* PSU moved to 9-2 this year against teams ranked within the Top 25 of the AVCA Coaches' Poll after a loss at then-No. 4 Minnesota last week. Penn State is 6-1 against ranked teams at home in Rec Hall and 3-1 on the road.
* 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 .149 hitting percentage. The mark ranks 12th nationally and leads the Big Ten. »
* Averaging 3.16 blocks per set on the year, Penn State owns a 303.5 - 155.5 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 1.41 blocks per set ranks 20th nationally and second in the Big Ten.
* Penn State's .292 hitting clip ranks seventh in the NCAA national standings and leads the Big Ten. Helped out by Haleigh Washington's team-high .453 hitting clip, her efficiency ranks second nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Penn State moved to No. 4 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll this week, after spending two weeks ranked No. 1. The Nittany Lions have 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 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.
* 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 15 matches. Lee has posted double figures in six of the last 12 outings, while also averaging 2.37 kills per set on .292 hitting within the stretch.
* Veterans senior Megan Courtney and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney are also among the group of top Nittany Lion attackers. Averaging 3.10 kills per set, Courtney has had double-doubles (kills/digs) in six of the last 13 matches she has played. Whitney is averaging 3.08 kills per set with double digit kills in eight of the last 13 matches, including five of the last six outings.
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 2.58 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 seven times this season (vs. Auburn, vs. Minnesota, vs. Nebraska, at Northwestern, at Michigan, at Minnesota, vs. Michigan).
In total, Penn State has had at least three in double figures in 10 of 28 matches this season. In conference play, three or four players have fueled the PSU offense with double figure kills in seven of 17 Big Ten matches.
LAST TIME OUT: MARYLAND
Nov. 5, 2015 - (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-22)
PSU 3, UMD 1 - College Park, Md. - XFINITY Center
Then-No. 1 Penn State rallied from behind to top Maryland in four sets on the road at the XFINITY Center in the first meeting of the 2015 season.
Aiyana Whitney and Haleigh Washington led the offense with double digit kills. Whitney matched a career-high mark with 18 kills on .600 hitting, adding four blocks. Washington posted 12 kills on .526 hitting, while also leading the team with seven total blocks, including two solo stuffs. Megan Courtney finished third on the team with eight kills, while Ali Frantti posted seven.
The Nittany Lions owned an 11.0-5.0 advantage in the blocking category, led by at least four blocks from four different players. Simone Lee finished second on the team with a career-high five blocks, in addition to four kills and three digs. Bryanna Weiskircher paced the team to a .343 hitting efficiency, dishing out 41 assists to go along with a team-high 11 digs and four blocks for her ninth double-double of the season. Weiskircher also led the squad with four aces.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
Penn State has commanded the advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents this year. To date, Penn State has out-blocked its opponents .3035 - 155.5, averaging 3.16 blocks per set, which ranks second nationally and leads the conference. Individually, sophomore Haleigh Washington's 1.41 blocks per set ranks 20th nationally and second in the Big Ten. Sophomore Heidi Thelen's 1.11 blocks per set ranks third on the team and 13th in the league, while redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's 1.15 blocks per frame is second on the squad and 11th in the conference.
Penn State has out-blocked its opponent in 25 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 twice this season by Minnesota (11.0-13.0 & 7.0/9.0).
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
Penn State has limited its opponents to .152 hitting this season, which ranks first in the Big Ten standings and 13th nationally. PSU has held its opponent to .099 or lower hitting efficiency 11 times and between .135-.196 seven times. Only Minnesota (.275), Stanford (.267) and Iowa (.283) have hit .250 or better against the Nittany Lions. Penn State has been out-hit by a team only five times this season, in both matches against Minnesota (.198/.216 & .236/.275), against Nebraska (.164/.173), at Northwestern (.193/.211) and vs. Michigan (.210/.213). Despite getting out-hit by the Golden Gophers in the first meeting of the season (9/26), 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 .292 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh nationally and leads the Big Ten. Weiskircher has also paced four of her top attackers to just under .245, or better hitting, led by sophomore Haleigh Washington's .453 clip, which ranks second nationally and leads the Big Ten.
Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's .335 hitting percentage is second on the team and eighth in the conference, while sophomore Simone Lee's .261 efficiency is third on the team. Senior Megan Courtney's .244 clip is fourth on the squad. Averaging 3.10 kills per set, Courtney has had double-doubles (kills/digs) in each six of the last 13 matches she's played. Whitney's averaging 3.08 kills per set with double digit kills in eight of the last 13 matches, including five of the last six outings.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Including an 11-2 mark in 2015, Penn State owns a 575-33 (.946) all-time record at home in Rec Hall. Penn State is 263-19 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.
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 3.29 digs per set, which ranks 12th 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 15 matches, posting double figure kills in six of the last 12 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. She also totaled a career-high three aces in the most recent meeting against the Wolverines (11/18). In the last 12 matches, Lee's averaging 2.37 kills per set on .292 hitting.
WEISKIRCHER EARNS FIRST CAREER BIG TEN WEEKLY HONOR
After helping the team to a home-and-home sweep in the series 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 .292 hitting percentage, which leads the Big Ten conference and ranks seventh nationally. From the end line, she's also tallied 33 aces on the year. Weiskircher's 0.34 aces per frame is tops in the Big Ten standings.
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 closes out the regular season next with two final Big Ten conference matches. The Nittany Lions hosts Northwestern Wednesday, Nov. 25 on Senior Night at Rec Hall before heading to Nebraska to take on the Huskers Saturday, Nov. 28 live on BTN.