June 13, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Olivia Villani (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is set to join the Penn State women's hockey program this fall, head coach Josh Brandwene announced on Monday, June 13. Villani, along with seven other incoming Nittany Lion student-athletes will be on campus for the 2016-17 season.
"Olivia brings height, strength and excellent hockey IQ to our roster," Brandwene said. "She values hard work and excels in the classroom making her a great fit for our program."
Villani, a defenseman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, played club hockey for the Pittsburgh Pens Elite program from 2012-15 and she most-recently played with the East Coast Wizards in the New England Women's Junior Hockey League (NEWHJL) in 2015-16.
"I chose Penn State because of the outstanding alumni network, the incredible academic rankings and the women's hockey program," Villani said. "Between those three areas, it was an easy choice for me to attend Penn State."
During her lone season with the Wizards, Villani was named the team captain and scored 14 points (5g, 9a) in 29 games played, which was sixth-best on the team. She was also named the NEWHJL defenseman star for the month of October 2015 as she tallied five points over a seven-game stretch.
Villani is the daughter of Kim and Rick and she has two brothers, Rick and Chase, and one sister, Brooke. Villani plans to major in advertising/public relations at Penn State.