Nov. 15, 2016
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
LINCOLN, Neb. - No. 15 Penn State (19-8, 11-5 Big Ten) takes on No. 1 Nebraska (24-1, 15-1 Big Ten) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 9 p.m. ET. The match is set for national broadcast on the Big Ten Network, with Larry Punteney and Beth Karpiak on the call.
FIRST SERVE:
» Penn State will travel to Nebraska after dropping the first matchup between the two sides in five sets, 3-2 (25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 11-15), on Nov. 4. Junior Simone Lee led Penn State's offensive efforts, posting 23 kills. Freshman Kendall White posted 32 digs, good for a season-best and the first time since November 27, 2010 that a Penn State player recorded 30 or more digs in a single match.
» Penn State split matches in the last weekend of action, taking down Maryland in a gritty, four-set performance (21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18) before falling in five to Ohio State in Columbus (23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 22-25, 16-18).
» PSU strung together another solid blocking performance against the Terrapins, positing 12 team blocks, as junior middle blocker Haleigh Washington led the way with nine block assists. In the back-to-back Iowa and Maryland victories, Penn State logged 26.0 total rejections, averaging 3.71 blocks per set over the two matches.
» Junior outside hitter Ali Frantti eclipsed the 900 career kill benchmark with nine kills in the most recent outing against the Ohio State Buckeyes. She is now just 96 kills short of becoming the 26th member of Penn State's 1,000 kill club.
» Junior Haleigh Washington enters the week coming off a strong performance over the past two matches. She finished with a team-best .500 hitting on 27 kills, which ranked second best on the team behind Lee. Washington also contributed 13 blocks, leading all Penn State players.
» The Nittany Lions are still looking for a consistent presence at the setter position. After junior Abby Detering started at the position for 18-straight matches, she has split time with redshirt sophomore Bryanna Weiskricher over the past five matches. Weiskircher started the Maryland match before Detering filled in again as the primary setter for the Ohio State bout.
» Juniors Haleigh Washington and Simone Lee both rank among the nation's best in statistical categories. Washington leads the country in hitting percentage (.450), while Lee's 4.23 kills per set rank 32nd in NCAA Division I. Both Washington and Lee's numbers lead the Big Ten conference.
» Three Penn State players in Lee, Washington and redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell all have chances to place among the top-five during the 25-point rally scoring era in single-season statistical categories. Lee (average kills/set) and Washington (hitting percentage) would rank second and fourth, respectively, in their categories if the season ended today. Lee (total kills, 406) and Gorrell (total block solos, 21) are both poised to crack the top five as well.
» PSU finds itself among the top 30 in the country in three statistical categories as a team. The Nittany Lions have hit the ball at a .291 clip in 2016, coming in third in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. The team has also been one of the country's best in limiting opponents, holding foes hitting percentage to a .158 clip, ranking second in the Big Ten and 18th in the nation. Penn State averages 2.63 blocks per set, coming in fourth in the Big Ten and 26th among Division I programs
» Penn State moved back to No. 15 in the country in the most recent release of the AVCA poll. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 9, with rankings spanning from No. 9 again two weeks ago and as low as No. 20. PSU has seven opponents represented within the top 25. Including the Nittany Lions, a total of seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25. Purdue is also receiving votes on the ballot. For the first time in 2016, Penn State received a first-place vote after downing then-top ranked Minnesota.
» The Nittany Lions enter Wednesday night's match against the Cornhuskers trailing in the all-time series, 17-10. Penn State will look to get off the schneid after dropping its last three matches against Nebraska.
LEE, WASHINGTON, GORRELL ON TRACK FOR RECORD SEASONS
Having impressive seasons thus far, junior classmates Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington are both on-track for seasons that rank among the best during the 25-point rally scoring era. Lee, averaging 4.23 kills per set currently, would rank third during the era for single-season kills per set. Washington, currently hitting at a .450 clip, would finish second in single-season hitting efficiency if the season ended today.
In addition to the running averages, Lee currently has 406 kills on the season. With 26 more, she could crack the top five for total kills in a single season during the 25-point rally scoring era. Redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell has 21 solo stuffs so far in 2016. With just three more she could match Haleigh Washington's output from 2015 with 24 to tie for the fifth-most in the 25-point rally scoring era.
25-POINT RALLY SCORING SINGLE SEASON TOTAL KILLS
Rank K Name, Year
1. 560 Megan Hodge, 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. 469 Ariel Scott, 2012
5. 432 Deja McClendon, 2011
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
406 Simone Lee, 2016
25-POINT RALLY SINGLE SEASON TOTAL BLOCK SOLOS
Rank TB Name, Year
1. 32 Megan Courtney, 2012
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. 27 Katie Slay, 2011
5. 24 Haleigh Washington, 2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Tori Gorrell, 2016
FRANTTI CLOSING IN ON 1,000 KILL CLUB
After posting nine kills in Penn State's match at Ohio State, junior Ali Frantti finds herself 96 kills away from being the 26th Nittany Lion with 1,000 career kills. Currently averaging 2.19 kills per set, Frantti will likely break the milestone next season, but could do so with a few big games or a deep tournament run. Frantti would become the first Penn State volleyball player to join the 1,000 kill ranks since Megan Courtney did so last season, ending her career with 1,154 kills.
ALL-TIME CAREER KILLS LEADERBOARD
Rank TK Name, Year
1. 2,282 Lori Barberich, 1981-84
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
24. 1,069 Zeynep Ton, 1992-95
25. 1,016 Cassy Sayler, 2003-06
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
904 Ali Frantti, 2014-Pres.
WEISKIRCHER, DETERING SPLITTING TIME LATE IN SEASON
Junior transfer Abby Detering (Florida) and redshirt sophomore Bryanna Weiskircher split time early in the non-conference slate at the setting position. It looked as if Detering would be the solution, starting 18 consecutive matches, before the staff decided to start Bryanna Weiskircher at setter for the first set of the match at Minnesota. Detering resumed the setting role in the second set, logging 26 assist in the final two sets - Weiskircher posted 12 in her single set of action. Penn State then reverted to Weiskircher halfway through its first meeting between the Nittany Lions and Nebraska. The duo split time again last weekend, as Weiskircher started for the Maryland match before Detering took the helm for Penn State's five-set thriller against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
NITTANY LIONS' AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE IN EFFICIENCY
Penn State has been extremely successful keeping its offense among the top in the country. Following 12 weeks of play, the Nittany Lions rank third in the Big Ten and sixth in Division I in hitting efficiency, attacking a .291 clip. Junior Haleigh Washington continues to be one of the most consistent offensive threats in the country in 2016, ranking among the best in the nation in hitting efficiency. Hitting at a .450 clip in all matches this season, the Colorado Springs, Colorado, product leads the Big Ten and NCAA Division I players in hitting percentage.
The Nittany Lions not only excel at having one of the most efficient offenses in the country, but also at limiting those of the opposition. PSU currently ranks 18th nationally and ranks second in the Big Ten in limiting opponents hitting, holding foes to a .158 clip.
LEE'S OFFENSE GUIDES NITTANY LIONS
With double-figure kills in all but four matches this season, junior Simone Lee's 4.23 kills per set leads the Big Ten standings and places 32nd nationally. Lee also ranks 31st in points nationally, logging 4.71 per set. Lee posted a record-setting 30 kills against Minnesota on Oct. 5 before posting another 27 against Michigan. Lee has exceeded 20 kills in four matches this season. With 406 kills thus far, Lee has accounted for nearly 32% of the Penn State offense.
PSU MIDDLES A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
The duo of Penn State starting middle blockers junior Haleigh Washington and redshirt freshman Tori Gorrell has become one of the most talented tandems in the Big Ten conference. Washington ranks ninth in the Big Ten with an impressive 1.20 blocks per set, while Gorrell falls just outside the top 15 blockers in the conference, averaging 1.02 blocks per frame.
WASHINGTON NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Junior middle blocker Haleigh Washington earned Academic All-District honors, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday afternoon. It was Washington's second time being honored as a part of the Academic All-District team, as the Colorado Springs, Colorado, native was named to the All-District team last season, before going on to earn Second Team Academic All-America honors. In the classroom, Washington is a double major in philosophy and psychology, boasting an impressive 3.83 grade point average. In total, 56 student-athletes from the Division I ranks are selected to the Academic All-District teams. All members of the All-District teams are eligible for Academic All-America consideration, which will be announced on December 8.
AVCA POLL UPDATE: RELEASE 12
Penn State moved back to No. 15 in the country in the most recent release of the AVCA poll. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 9, with rankings spanning from No. 9 again two weeks ago and as low as No. 20. PSU has seven opponents represented within the top 25. Including the Nittany Lions, a total of seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25. Purdue is also receiving votes on the ballot. For the first time in 2016, Penn State received a first-place vote after downing then-top ranked Minnesota.
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 NEXT FOR THE NITTANY LIONS?
After the bout with Nebraska, Penn State returns home to take on the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. The match is a part of Penn State's "Fall Tour" in which fans can purchase a single ticket package for Penn State men's hockey vs. Arizona State on Friday at 7 p.m., the Purdue match, and Penn State Lady Lions women's basketball against Tennessee at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY.