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Dec. 5, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Seventh-seeded Penn State women's volleyball (27-5) is set to meet Dayton (27-5) in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions swept past Howard in straight sets (25-16, 25-8, 25-17) to advance to the second round of the tournament, helped out by double figure kills from redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti.
The winner of the Penn State/Dayton second round matchup will advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinals to take on the winner of the No. 10 Texas A&M/Hawaii match Friday, Dec. 11 in Des Moines, Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena.
FIRST SERVE
* Having hosted three teams in Rec Hall for NCAA first and second round matches a total of 29 times since 1981, Penn State and Dayton will meet for the second straight season in the NCAA second round.
* After earning its 26th consecutive first round victory in straight sets against Howard, Penn State improved to 91-27 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches. Penn State owns a 20-5 all-time mark in the second round of the tournament after securing a 3-0 win against the Flyers in 2014.
* The Nittany Lions have won their last 13 straight NCAA Tournament matches, dating back to a loss to Oregon in the 2012 NCAA national semifinals. Penn State is one of two programs, with Stanford being the other, to participate in all 35 NCAA Tournament postseason events since its inception in 1981.
* Penn State is one round closer in its quest for a third consecutive NCAA title as the Nittany Lions swept past BYU last year to capture the team's seven NCAA national championship in program history and sixth in the last eight years.
* Four Nittany Lions earned Big Ten postseason awards. Senior Megan Courtney and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney earned spots on the All-Big Ten team, joined by sophomore Haleigh Washington, who was named a unanimous selection. Senior Kendall Pierce rounded out the group as Penn State's sportsmanship honoree.
* Penn State and Dayton have met just once in program history, dating back to the 2014 NCAA second round. The Nittany Lions swept the Flyers (25-20, 25-18, 25-16) in last year's meeting to knock UD out of the tournament. Megan Courtney led the way with 11 kills in the win.
* Dayton earned one of 32 automatic qualifier bids to the 2015 NCAA Tournament after sweeping Saint Louis to claim the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers enter the NCAA second round matchup as winners of their last 25 consecutive matches, having topped Villanova in four sets in last night's first round outing.
* PSU moved to 9-3 against teams ranked within the AVCA Top 25 after coming up short at No. 5 Nebraska in the 2015 regular season finale. Penn State is 6-1 against ranked teams at home in Rec Hall and 3-2 on the road.
* Penn State has earned 22 of its 27 victories this year by way of a 3-0 sweep, while also limiting its opponents to a .153 hitting percentage. The mark ranks 14th nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Averaging 3.14 blocks per set on the year, Penn State owns a 339.5 - 177.5 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 1.42 blocks per set ranks 23rd nationally and second in the Big Ten.
* Penn State's .294 hitting clip ranks sixth in the NCAA national standings and leads the Big Ten. Helped out by Haleigh Washington's team-high .446 hitting clip, her efficiency ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* PSU slid to No. 8 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll this week, after spending one week ranked seventh. Despite the season-low positioning, 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.
* A total of nine Big Ten schools were selected to the field of 64 in this year's NCAA Tournament. Along with No. 7 Penn State, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 12 Ohio State highlighted the group, earning top-16 seeds.
* Veterans senior Megan Courtney and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney are among the group of top Nittany Lion attackers. Averaging 3.09 kills per set, Courtney had double digit kills in eight of 16 conference matches she played in. Whitney's also averaging 3.09 kills per set with double digit kills in 11 of the last 17 matches, including eight of the last 10 outings.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
With a 91-27 all-time record in the NCAA tournament, Penn State has totaled 10 national final appearances ('93, '97, '98, '99, '07, '08, '09, '10, '13, '14), 12 trips to the national semifinals ('93, '94, '97, '98, '99, '07, '08, '09, '10, '12, `13, '14) and seven national championships ('99, '07, '08, '09, '10, '13, `14).
SUCCESS IN THE SECOND ROUND
Penn State improved to 20-5 all-time in round two of the NCAA tournament after a 3-0 win against Dayton in 2014. The win against the Flyers also marked PSU's 12th consecutive second-round victory, since 2002, when Temple knocked PSU out of the tourney.
NCAA FIRST ROUND FACTS
Including this year, PSU is set to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament for the 29th time since 1981, welcoming three teams to Rec Hall for the 26th consecutive year. Penn State improved to 30-5 all-time record in opening matches of the tourney, after sweeping Howard. The Nittany Lions have not surrendered a single set to a first round opponent since 1989, having posted sweeps in its last 26 consecutive first-round victories.
LAST TIME OUT: VS. DAYTON
Dec. 6, 2014 - (25-20, 25-18, 25-16)
PSU 3, UD 0 - University Park, Pa. - Rec Hall UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Fifth-seeded Penn State advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals with a straight set victory against Dayton at Rec Hall. Making their 12th consecutive trip the NCAA regional semifinals, the Nittany Lions' streak of appearances in the round of 16 is the longest active DI stretch.
Megan Courtney led the offense with 11 perfect swings on .440 hitting, adding six digs and two solo stuffs. Ali Frantti and Haleigh Washington tallied nine kills each, while Aiyana Whitney added eight. Nia Grant posted six kills and two aces, while also leading the team with three blocks.
Micha Hancock directed the Nittany Lion offense to a .436 hitting clip, dishing out 36 assists to go along with four kills, eight digs and one block. With three aces, she moved into sole possession of the NCAA single-season 25-point scoring format aces record (118), which was originally set by Christine Edwards (Jackson State) in 2012.
ADVANTAGE ON THE BLOCK
Penn State has commanded the advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents this year. Penn State has out-blocked its opponents 339.5 - 177.5, averaging 3.14 blocks per set, which ranks second nationally and leads the conference. Individually, sophomore Haleigh Washington's 1.42 blocks per set ranks 23rd nationally and second in the Big Ten. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's 1.14 blocks per frame is second on the squad and 11th in the conference. PSU has out-blocked its opponent in 28 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 three times this season, twice by Minnesota (11.0-13.0 & 7.0/9.0) and once at Nebraska (12.0/6.0).
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
Penn State has limited its opponents to .153 hitting this season, which ranks first in the Big Ten standings and 14th nationally. PSU has held its opponent to .099 or lower hitting efficiency 12 times and between .135-.196 eight 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 six times this season, in both matches against Minnesota (.198/.216 & .236/.275), and Nebraska (.164/.173 & .126/.241), 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 .294 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth 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 .446 clip, which ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's .352 hitting percentage is second on the team and fifth in the conference, while sophomore Simone Lee's .255 efficiency is third on the team among hitters. Senior Megan Courtney's .243 clip is fifth on the squad. Averaging 3.09 kills per set, Courtney had double digit kills in eight of 16 conference matches she played in. Whitney's also averaging 3.09 kills per set with double digit kills in 11 of the last 17 matches, including eight of the last 10 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 2.61 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 32 matches this season. In conference play, three or four players fueled the PSU offense with double figure kills in seven of 20 Big Ten matches.
K. PIERCE INTO THE STARTING LINEUP
Senior Kendall Pierce has earned her way into the Penn State starting lineup at the libero position. She's made four consecutive starts at libero in the past four matches, totaling and then matching a career-high mark with 12 digs against Maryland and Northwestern. In the last four matches she's averaging 3.17 digs per set.
SWEEPING VICTORIES
Penn State has earned 22 of its 27 (81%) victories this season by way of a 3-0 sweep. Penn State has also limited Eastern Kentucky, Mississippi State, St. John's, Maryland and Howard to less than 45 total points in a single match, holding the Colonels and the Bison to a season-low 41 total points. The Terps had 45, the Red Storm had 43 and Bulldogs had just 42.