Nov. 17, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 15 Penn State (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) returns home on Saturday for a tilt with the Purdue Boilermakers (17-11, 7-10 Big Ten) on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT:
Penn State's match with the Boilermakers provides plenty of awesome promotional opportunities for fans to enjoy. The first 1,000 fans will receive a free team poster that can be signed by the team during a post-match autograph session. The match will also serve as Faculty & Staff appreciation night, with all faculty and staff receiving a ticket for just $4 with their PSU ID.
Hey #PSUVB fans, don't miss your chance to get this poster FREE at Saturday's match vs. Purdue by being one of the first 1000 in the door! pic.twitter.com/dcHWP5IUlL
-- PennStateVolleyball (@PennStateVBALL) November 17, 2016
FIRST SERVE:
» The last time that Penn State faced off against Purdue, the Nittany Lions earned a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-17) sweep on the road. Penn State hit at a .322 clip, led once again by Lee with 15 kills.
» Last time out, PSU fell to reigning national champion and top-ranked Nebraska, 3-0 (17-25, 14-25, 22-25) on Wednesday night inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Junior outside hitter Ali Frantti led the way for Penn State, logging seven kills in the outing, while classmates Haleigh Washington and Simone Lee posted six apiece.
» 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 89 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 last weekend's 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.
» 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, 412) 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.
PENN STATE AGAINST THE BOILERMAKERS
Penn State enters the showdown with the Boilermakers holding a 53-6 advantage against Purdue. The Nittany Lions have been winners of 10-straight against the foes from West Lafayette.
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 412 kills on the season. With 20 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
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4. 469 Ariel Scott, 2012
5. 432 Deja McClendon, 2011
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412 Simone Lee, 2016
25-POINT RALLY SINGLE SEASON TOTAL BLOCK SOLOS
Rank TB Name, Year
1. 32 Megan Courtney, 2012
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4. 27 Katie Slay, 2011
5. 24 Haleigh Washington, 2015
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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 89 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
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24. 1,069 Zeynep Ton, 1992-95
25. 1,016 Cassy Sayler, 2003-06
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911 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. Weiskircher started Penn State's most recent outing before Detering relieved her of setting duties half way through the second set.
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?
Penn State wraps up the regular season hosting a pair of home matches against Northwestern (Nov. 25, 7 p.m.) and Illinois (Nov. 26, 7 p.m.) before the NCAA Tournament Selection show will determine Penn State's postseason fate.