Dec. 7, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team heads into the NCAA University Park Regional with home court advantage as the Nittany Lions prepare to take on Missouri at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 7 in the Third Round of the NCAA Championship.
Parking Advisory
With Penn State students in class during the match times, fans are encouraged to arrive early and check out the parking advisory HERE
Tickets
All-session tickets for the 2017 NCAA Tournament Regionals at Penn State are on sale now. Current Penn State women's volleyball season ticket holders and NLC members will have the option to purchase all-session tickets now through their account manager on TicketMaster.com. All-session tickets are priced at $16 for adults and $10 for students and youth ages 12 and under. Groups of 20 or more may purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $8.
Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office in the Bryce Jordan Center from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Single-match tickets will only be sold at the door the day of each match. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and youth ages 12 and under. Groups of 20 or more may purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $5. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. Friday, December 8 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, December 9.
Notables
>> For the seventh-straight week, the Penn State women's volleyball team has earned the No. 1 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the Nittany Lions have earned all 64 votes for a unanimous selection. They are the first team this season that has received all 64 votes.
>> This marks the 73rd week the Nittany Lions have been at No. 1 in the poll since the end of the 2006 season, and the 97th time in the history of the poll. The Nittany Lions' first No. 1 ranking came on Sept. 2, 1997, and the poll was started in 1982.
>> Penn State has racked up 12 Big Ten weekly awards as Simone Lee has a Player and Defensive honor to her name, while Haleigh Washington has picked up five Player of the Week honors, Kendall White has earned three Defensive Player of the Week awards, Ali Frantti snagged a Player of the Week honor, and Tori Gorrell closed out the season with a Defensive Player of the Week mark.
>> Against Rutgers (11/18), Simone Lee set a Penn State record for hitting percentage. The Penn State record required a minimum of 20 attempts, and the outside put down 17 kills with one error on 20 swings for a .800 clip to set the record.
>> Haleigh Washington is hitting the nation's best .513, which is on pace to be the 2nd best hitting percentage from 2008-Present in a season.
>> Washington is also on pace to have one of the top-three career hitting percentages in NCAA history (.461).
>> Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington are two of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award
>> Haleigh Washington was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for 2017. She has two CoSIDA Academic All-American honors to her name and is now looking for a third.
>> Penn State has three active 1,000 kill club members as Ali Frantti was the first on Aug. 26 at West Virginia, and Simone Lee followed on Oct. 6 at Ohio State, and Haleigh Washington eclipsed the mark on Oct. 21 at Indiana. The last time Penn State had three active 1,000 kill club members was in 2008. Entering the season, Megan Hodge and Nicole Fawcett were already past the mark, but on Sept. 5, 2008, Christa Harmotto joined the club as well.
>>Haleigh Washington became the 7th athlete in Penn State volleyball lore to reach 1,000 kills and 500 blocks on Oct. 25. She was the first in seven seasons to reach 500 blocks, as the last to achieve this feat was Arielle Wilson (2007-10).
>>Twice this season, the Nittany Lions have had four players with double-digit kills. Against Stanford (9/1): Abby Detering (11k), Ali Frantti (10k), Haleigh Washington (10k), and Simone Lee (11k), and against Purdue (10/20): Ali Frantti (15k), Heidi Thelen (14k), Simone Lee (13k), and Haleigh Washington (10k).
Against The Field
Last time vs. Missouri
Sept. 7, 2006 - PSU, 3-0; 30-19, 30-21, 30-21
Nicole Fawcett recorded 17 kills on .394 hitting to lead the second-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team to a three-game sweep of No. 15 Missouri, 30-19, 30-21, 30-21.
Penn State out-blocked Missouri 9.5 to 6.0, led by Christa Harmotto with six and Alisha Glass with five. Salyer and Melissa Walbridge each posted three stuffs.
The Nittany Lions also recorded six service aces, including a career-high-tying three from Holehouse, two from Hodge and one from Walbridge.
Penn State recorded 54 kills to Missouri's 34 and also out-dug the Tigers, 53 to 38.
Last time vs. Michigan State
Nov. 1, 2017 - PSU, 3-1; 27-25, 25-19, 25-27, 25-21
The two teams traded leads to open the first set, but at 9-8, Michigan State took a lead that they would not relinquish until the waning moments of the set. The Nittany Lions were down 23-20, but that did not stop their drive. Through some gutsy choices and aggressive play, the Nittany Lions were able to tie it up at 23. Eventually going on to take the set, 27-25.
The Nittany Lion controlled the second set, putting down eight of their first 10 hitting attempts without an error. The finished the set with a .533 team hitting percentage and saw Frantti lead the way with five kills.
The third set featured high-quality Big Ten volleyball as the two Top-Ten teams battle tooth and nail, with long rally after long rally. White scooped up nine digs in the first set alone, while Lee put down seven kills, including three straight to push the set to extra points, but eventually, the Spartans were able to string together enough in a row to take the set, 27-25.
In the fourth set, Penn State bounced back in impressive fashion. The Nittany Lions opened up the set on a 6-1 run, and never looked back. They put down nine of their first 13 swings without an error. However, Michigan State would not disappoint their home crowd and tied the set at 14. A service run by senior Lainy Pierce put the Nittany Lions back on top. Washington put down seven kills and added two blocks to put away the Spartans.
Last time vs. Illinois
Oct. 28, 2017 - PSU, 3-0; 30-28, 25-11, 25-15
Penn State finished the match with a .479 hitting percentage with 52 kills, and 12.0 team blocks. They held Illinois to .176 hitting and avoided the ninth-best blocking team in the nation as the Illini only recorded 5.5 team blocks, 4.5 of which came in the opening set.
Simone Lee finished with a game-high 16 kills on .406 hitting. Heidi Thelen and Haleigh Washington both added 10 kills. Thelen put down her 10 on a clip of .444, while Washington hit .769 with no errors. Washington also dominated on the block, recording seven stops, including a solo stuff.
What's next for Penn State?
With a pair of wins this weekend, Penn State would advance to their 13th NCAA Semifinal, which is being held in Kansas City, Missouri, this year.