Sept. 29, 2016
| #16 Penn State vs. #18 Michigan State | | Friday, Sept. 30 - 7 p.m. ET | Promo: PSU Alums and USA Olympians Chirsta Dietzen and Alish Glass autograph/photo session (5:30-6:30); Promotional posrter #5 | Live Audio | | BTN Plus ($) | | Notes: Penn State | Michigan State | | #16 Penn State vs. #22 Michigan | | Saturday, Oct. 1 - 8 p.m. ET | | | Live Audio | | BTN Plus ($) | | Notes: Penn State | Michigan |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 18 Penn State (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) returns to Rec Hall this weekend to host a pair of Big Ten opponents from Michigan, beginning with the Spartans of Michigan State (12-2, 1-1 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. on Friday before facing the Wolverines of Michigan (12-2, 1-1 Big Ten) Saturday at 8 p.m.
PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Penn State welcomes back alumnae and USA volleyball Olympians Christa Dietzen and Alisha Glass to Rec Hall Friday evening, with both available for an autograph and photo session from 5:30 - 6:30 before the match. The duo will also be honored during the second set break during the Michigan State match. Friday's match will also include the fifth poster giveaway of the season. The Nittany Lions will offer $4 tickets for Friday and Saturday matches to fans who present their Penn State football ticket at the door. Fans may also purchase in advance online via the Penn State volleyball ticketing portal.
FIRST SERVE
- Penn State enters Friday night on an eight-match win streak after logging its first two Big Ten wins of the 2016 campaign. PSU opened league play with a sweep against Rutgers, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-5) last Wednesday before toppling Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-17).
- For the 12th time in 2016, Simone Lee led the way on offense, posting 10 kills in the most recent outing against Northwestern. The junior outside hitter also scored on a career-best four aces while adding eight digs, a pair of blocks and an assist.
- Four other players notched five or more kills in the match against Northwestern. Junior opposite Heidi Thelen notched nine kills, middle blockers Tori Gorrell and Haleigh Washington each added six, and junior outside Ali Frantti posted five kills.
- Lee paces the team in kills through two matches of Big Ten play with 23. Washington has made seven stuffs during league matches, while junior setter Abby Detering posted team bests with 66 assists and six aces.
- After last match, Washington ranks among the top 25 in the country in hitting percentage. Her .405 hitting percentage ranks No. 24 in the country and second best in the Big Ten conference.
- Lee has led the offense this season, averaging a team-best 4.09 kills per set. Her ability to kill the ball has ranked among the nation's elite, ranking 42nd in the nation in kills per set (third in the Big Ten), while coming in at No. 40 in points per set nationally with 4.70 (second in the Big Ten).
- Penn State's ability to limit opponent's offense has been unmatched this season. The Nittany Lions lead the country in limiting opponent's hitting percentage, holding the opposition to a measly .093 efficiency.
- PSU finds itself among the top 25 in the country in two other statistical categories. The Nittany Lions have hit the ball at a .299 clip in 2016, coming in second in the league and sixth nationally. Penn State also averages 2.77 blocks per set, coming in seventh in the Big Ten and 21st among Division I programs
- Penn State ascended another two spots to No. 16 in the latest release of the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. PSU has 11 matches against teams represented within the top 25. Including the Nittany Lions, a total of nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25.
PENN STATE SERIES AGAINST WEEK 6 OPPONENTS
The Nittany Lions head into Friday's match against Michigan State with a 41-7 edge against the Spartans all-time. PSU has won four straight, including a 3-0 win when the two teams last met in East Lansing, Michigan, on Oct. 24, 2015.
Penn State squares off against Michigan on Saturday night with a 47-4 lead in all matches. The Wolverines took the most recent meeting between the two sides, 3-1, on Nov. 18, 2015 in Rec Hall.
NITTANY LIONS' POTENT DEFENSE LEADS NATION
In the sixth week of play, Penn State has managed to be the toughest defense in the nation for opposition to cope with. While 21st nationally in blocks per set, the Nittany Lions have forced opponents to a measly .093 hitting combined, marking the lowest opponent hitting percentage in the country. The next lowest opponent hitting percentage in the Big Ten is 0.40 points higher, with Wisconsin limiting foes to a .133 clip.
LEE'S OFFENSE GUIDES NITTANY LIONS
With double-figure kills in all but one match this season, junior Simone Lee's 4.09 kills per set ranks fifth in the Big Ten standings and 42nd nationally. Lee also ranks 40th in points nationally, logging 4.70 per set. Lee led the team in kills in both of last week's sweeps, posting 13 against Rutgers and 10 against Northwestern.
DETERING TAKING THE REIGNS
Junior transfer Abby Detering (Florida) and redshirt sophomore Bryanna Weiskircher split time early in the non-conference slate at the setting position. Having started the last nine consecutive matches, Detering has become an anchor at the postion. Last weekend Detering posted 66 assists, 12 digs, six aces and four blocks while guiding the Nittany Lions to a pair of sweeps and .358 hitting over two matches.
THELEN SHIFTS TO RIGHT SIDE
After limited time on the court in her first two seasons, junior Heidi Thelen has found her niche, moving to the right side this season. The move has paid dividends, with Thelen ranking third on the team in hitting percentage (.352) and fourth in kills (82). Most recently, the Edgewood, Kentucky native posted nine kills against Northwestern while adding a team-best four blocks.
WHITE BECOMING BACK ROW FIXTURE
With 13 matches of the 2016 season in the books, freshman defensive specialist Kendall White has made a name for herself this season, starting each of her 13 matches at libero. Since the Indianapolis, Indiana product has been exceptional, leading the team with 3.73 digs per set, good for eleventh in the conference. The rookie is half a dig per set shy of the conference's top five. Last weekend, White logged 23 digs over six sets, averaging for 3.83 per frame.
AVCA POLL UPDATE: RELEASE 6
Penn State ascended another two spots to No. 16 in the latest release of the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 9 in the Preseason Poll, before moving to No. 13 and No. 17 in last week's release. PSU has 11 matches against teams represented within the top 25. Including the Nittany Lions, a total of nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25.
NITTANY LION ALUMS EARN BRONZE WITH TEAM USA
Penn State women's volleyball All-American alums Alisha Glass and Christa (Harmotto) Dietzen earned a Bronze medal with the United States Women's National Team at the Olympic Games in Rio.
Having played key roles for Team USA throughout the event, Glass and Dietzen helped the United States to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-27, 25-22, 25-19) win against the Netherlands to clinch The Americans' second Bronze medal since the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain. Team USA went 6-0 through Pool play before a close 3-2 loss to Serbia in the semifinals moved the United States to 6-1 heading into the Bronze medal match.
Penn State women's volleyball now has four Olympic medalists in Nittany Lion program history as Glass earns her first and Dietzen picks up her second consecutive. Having previously earned Silver with the U.S. at the 2012 Games in London, Dietzen is Penn State's first women's volleyball alum to win two Olympic medals as a member of the 12-woman roster.
From Hopewell Township, Pa., Dietzen was a two-time first-team All-American and the 2008 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in women's volleyball. From Leland, Mich., Glass also was a two-time first-team All-American for the Nittany Lions. Glass was a member of the initial three national title squads and Dietzen was a member of the first two squads, playing for Hall of Fame Coach Russ Rose.
WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Penn State continues its home stand next Wednesday, Oct. 5, when the Nittany Lions face Minnesota at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions will then take on Rutgers in Rec Hall on Saturday, Sept. 8.
