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Dec. 9, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Seventh-seeded Penn State women's volleyball (28-5) is set to make its 13th straight appearance in the NCAA regional semifinals, traveling to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Hawaii (28-1) Friday, Dec. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET in Wells Fargo Arena. The matchup will stream live on ESPN3 with Cara Capuano and Maria Taylor on the call.
The Nittany Lions advanced to the round of 16 after defeated Howard and Dayton in last week's NCAA first and second round matches at home in Rec Hall.
FIRST SERVE
* The Nittany Lions have won their last 14 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. The Nittany Lions are 92-27 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches.
* PSU is also two rounds 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.
* Penn State and Hawaii have met five times in program history, with the Nittany Lions claiming wins in all five outings. In the most recent and the only NCAA Tournament meeting between the two teams, the Nittany Lions pushed past the 'Bows in four sets to claim a win in the 2009 NCAA national semifinals, on the way to an eventual national title.
* Hawaii earned one of 32 automatic qualifier bids to the 2015 NCAA Tournament after capturing the Big West championship following a 16-0 record in league matches. The Rainbow Wahine outlasted TCU in five sets in the opening round of the tourney before upsetting No. 10 Texas A&M in straight sets.
* Penn State's matchup against Hawaii places the top two winningest coaches in NCAA DI women's volleyball on opposite benches. Rose presently ranks first on the NCAA DI all-time list with 1,189 career wins. Shoji is in second place with 1,178 career victories.
* Five Nittany Lions earned AVCA DI All-Northeast Region honors. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti highlighted the group with their second straight All-Region nod. Senior Megan Courtney and sophomore Haleigh Washington joined Whitney and Frantti on the All-Northeast Region team, while redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher earned honorable mention honors.
* 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.
* PSU is 9-3 on the year 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 28 victories this year by way of a 3-0 sweep, while also limiting its opponents to a .155 hitting percentage. The mark ranks 11th nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Averaging 3.11 blocks per set on the year, Penn State owns a 348.5 - 182.5 advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents in 2015. The average ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten. Individually, sophomore Haleigh Washington's 1.40 blocks per set ranks 20th 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 .443 hitting clip, her efficiency ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten.
* Veterans senior Megan Courtney and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney are among the group of top Nittany Lion attackers. Averaging 3.04 kills per set, Courtney had double digit kills in eight of 16 conference matches she played in. Whitney's leading the team with 3.11 kills per set with double digit kills in 12 of the last 18 matches, including nine of the last 11 outings.
FIVE EARN AVCA ALL-NORTHEAST REGION ACCOLADES
Five Nittany Lions earned AVCA DI All-Northeast Region honors, as selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti highlighted the group with their second straight All-Region nod. Senior Megan Courtney and sophomore Haleigh Washington joined Whitney and Frantti on the All-Northeast Region team, while redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher earned honorable mention honors.
The five all-region honors brings Penn State's total number of selections to 90 in program history, while also marking the fourth consecutive season the Nittany Lions have earned at least four in a single season. Penn State's five honorees also marks the first time since 2012 that Penn State has had five Nittany Lions earn All-Region distinction. PSU also has more All-Northeast selections than any other program in the region, with four selections making up the 14-member All-Northeast region squad and one of six in the honorable mention category.
FOUR NITTANY LIONS EARN BIG TEN POSTSEASON HONORS
Four Nittany Lions earned Big Ten postseason awards. The Nittany Lions are well represented on this year's All-Big Ten team, as one of only two programs to have at least three selections. 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.
Washington earns her second consecutive spot on the All-Big Ten team. Whitney garners All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season, having been named an honorable mention last year. Washington is among a group of just seven honorees to be named a unanimous All-Big Ten selection this year. Courtney's nod marks the first time she's been selected for a Big Ten postseason award. Pierce has also earned her first postseason recognition as this year's sportsmanship honoree.
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.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
With a 92-27 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).
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL SNAPSHOT
Making their 13th consecutive trip the NCAA regional semifinals this weekend, the Nittany Lions' streak of appearances in the round of 16 is the longest active DI stretch. Last year, Penn State swept then-No. 12 UCLA in the Louisville Regional semifinals. SUCCESS IN THE SECOND ROUND
Penn State improved to 21-5 all-time in true second round matches (beginning in 1998) of the NCAA tournament after a four-set victory against Dayton. The win against the Flyers also marked PSU's 13th consecutive second-round victory, since 2002, when Temple knocked PSU out of the tourney.
NCAA FIRST ROUND FACTS
Including this year, PSU hosted 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.
2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
Penn State owns a 2015 NCAA Tournament best .391 hitting clip after earning wins against Howard and Dayton. The Nittany Lions hit at least .369 in each outing. Penn State highlighted the first and second rounds with a .424 efficiency against Howard.
- The Nittany Lions snapped Dayton's national-best 25-match winning streak, while also knocking the Flyers out of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
- The Nittany Lions also held 2015 All-MEAC First Team selection Khaila Donaldson to .029 hitting (10-9-35) in the win against Howard.
LAST TIME OUT: HAWAII
Dec. 18, 2009 -- Tampa, Fla. (NCAA National Semifinals)
Penn State 3, Hawaii 1
TAMPA, Fla. - With a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-18) triumph against No. 12 Hawai'i (32-3), top-ranked Penn State (37-0) advances to the 2009 NCAA National Title match for the third straight year. Head coach Russ Rose became just the third Division I women's volleyball coach to reach the 1,000 career wins milestone with the triumph. The Nittany Lions have now won 101 consecutive matches.
Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills. Senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led the squad with 12, while juniors Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) and Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) had 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 41 helpers and attacked at a team-leading .692 with nine kills on 13 errorless swings.
On defense, junior libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) had a career-high 19 digs, while Hodge posted 15 and Glass had 11. Junior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) led the Lions with nine total blocks, while Brown finished second on the team with seven total. Wilson also contributed six in the match.
PSU registered 54 kills, 50 assists, three aces, a season-high 66 digs and had 15.0 total team blocks. Penn State held the Rainbow Wahine to a .135 attack percentage and zero team blocks. The Wahine totaled 53 kills, 50 assists, three aces and 75 saves.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
Penn State has commanded the advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents this year. Penn State has out-blocked its opponents 348.5 - 182.5, averaging 3.11 blocks per set, which ranks third nationally and leads the conference. Individually, sophomore Haleigh Washington's 1.40 blocks per set ranks 20th nationally and second in the Big Ten. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's 1.13 blocks per frame is second on the squad and 11th in the conference. PSU has out-blocked its opponent in 29 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 .155 hitting this season, which ranks first in the Big Ten standings and 11th 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.
A VARIETY OF OFFENSIVE OPTIONS
Redshirt freshman setter Bryanna Weiskircher has directed the Nittany Lions to a .297hitting 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 .443 clip, which ranks third nationally and leads the Big Ten. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney's .356 hitting percentage is second on the team and fifth in the conference, while sophomore Simone Lee's .254 efficiency is third on the team among hitters. Sophomore Ali Frantti's .246 clip is fourth on the squad. Averaging 3.04 kills per set, senior Megan Courtney had double digit kills in eight of 16 conference matches she played in. Whitney's leading the team with 3.11 kills per set with double digit kills in 12 of the last 18 matches, including nine of the last 11 outings.
BALANCING THE OFFENSIVE ATTACK
The Nittany Lions have utilized a balanced offensive attack in matches this season, with a total of four different players averaging at least 2.62 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 33 matches this season. In conference play, three or four players fueled the offense with double figure kills in seven Big Ten matches.
A MATCHUP FEATURING TWO ALL-TIME GREATS
Penn State's matchup against Hawaii places the top two winningest coaches in NCAA DI women's volleyball on opposite benches. Rose presently ranks first on the NCAA DI all-time list with 1,189 career wins. Shoji is in second place with 1,178 career victories. With each coach bringing more than 35 years of experience at each program, the two have combined for 2,367 career wins.
RISE TO THE TOP ...
Following a 4-0 weekend in the 2014 Penn State Alumni Classic, Rose moved into first place on the DI NCAA career wins list with 1,136 victories, ahead of Hawaii Shoji, who had already topped the list earlier in 2014. 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 DI career standings at the conclusion of the 2014 season with 1,161 wins.
STEPPING IT UP!
Sophomore Ali Frantti has stepped up her offensive contribution. Frantti's paced the Nittany Lion offense with double figure kills in six of the last eight outings, beginning with double figure kills at Iowa (11), at Minnesota (11) and against Michigan (10). Most recently, she led the team with 12 kills on .400 hitting against Howard, before finishing tied for first on the team with 14 kills on .407 hitting against Dayton. Within the eight-match stretch, she's averaging 3.08 kills per set, having totaled 80 kills, hitting at a .293 clip.
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 five consecutive starts at libero in the past five matches, totaling and then matching a then-career-high mark with 12 digs against Maryland and Northwestern. Most recently she set a new career-high with 13 digs in the 3-1 win against Dayton.
SWEEPING VICTORIES
Penn State has earned 22 of its 28 (79%) 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.
STREAK SNAPPERS
The Nittany Lions are no stranger to streak snapping, having halted Dayton's 25-match winning streak with a four-set victory to claim a spot in the round of 16. Hawaii enters the NCAA regional semifinal matchup riding a new national-best 23-match winning streak, having not lost a match since losing to UCLA Sept. 6.
THE BIG TEN AT THE BIG DANCE
A total of nine Big Ten schools were selected to the field of 64 teams 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 earned top-16 seeds. Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue also received at-large bids to the tournament. Heading into the round of 16, six Big Ten teams still remain, with No. 4 Nebraska and No. 12 Ohio State in the Lexington Regional, No. 6 Wisconsin in the Austin Regional and No. 2 Minnesota and Illinois in the Des Moines regional along with Penn State.
LOOKING AHEAD
Should Penn State defeat Hawaii, the Nittany Lions would advance to the Des Moines Regional Finals and take on the winner of the No. 2 Minnesota/Illinois match Saturday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET in Wells Fargo Arena. The matchup will broadcast live on ESPNU.