Sept. 3, 2015
#1 PENN STATE vs. #21 COLORADO | | Friday, Sept. 4 - 7:30 p.m. ET | | Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. | | BTN Plus | | | Notes: Penn State | Colorado | | #1 PENN STATE vs. #2 STANFORD | | Saturday, Sept. 5 - 8 p.m. ET | | Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. | | BTN | | | Notes: Penn State | Stanford |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Fresh off an undefeated opening weekend, No. 1 Penn State (3-0) is set to welcome a trio of nationally ranked programs to Rec Hall for the 2015 Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.
The top-ranked Nittany Lions are set to take on No. 21 Colorado (2-1) Friday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET before taking on No. 2 Stanford (2-0) Saturday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
Saturday's matchup will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Audrey Flaugh on the call. Friday's match will stream live on BTN Plus, which is available to fans with a paid subscription.
QUICK SETS
* Penn State is set to begin the second year of a four-year series in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge this weekend. The Nittany Lions take on challenge newcomer No. 21 Colorado square off against No. 2 Stanford.
* The Nittany Lions went 3-0 last weekend, claiming the Penn State Classic title with wins against Buffalo, Stony Brook and Villanova. With the consecutive victories, Penn State has now won its last 23 straight matches, dating back to Oct. 11, 2014.
* Senior Megan Courtney highlighted the week with Penn State Classic Most Outstanding Player honors, while redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti joined her on the all-tournament team.
* Penn State's 3-0 start in 2015 marks the fourth consecutive year the Nittany Lions have opened a new year with three wins in the first week of the season.
* Averaging 3.83 blocks per set on the week, Penn State commanded a 34.5 - 9.0 advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents. Four different Nittany Lions totaled double digit blocks this past weekend, led by 19 from sophomore Heidi Thelen, who had a career-high nine blocks against Stony Brook.
* PSU was voted No. 1 overall for the second consecutive week in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Penn State received 54 of a possible 62 first place votes. Including Penn State, more than half of the Big Ten teams in the conference are featured in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, including seven in the top 25 and one receiving votes.
* The last time Penn State and Stanford met in the 2014 Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge the Cardinal came away with a close 3-2 victory on the road at Stanford. Just a few months later, No. 1 Stanford and No. 5 Penn State met in the 2014 NCAA national semifinals, with the Nittany Lions capturing a 3-1 win to advance to the NCAA title match.
* Penn State and Colorado have not met since 2003, when PSU topped the Buffs in four sets in the Maine "Sea Sun" Invitational. Having won the last four consecutive matches in the series, Penn State and Colorado will meet at home for the first time since 1991.
* Penn State was voted No. 1 overall in the 2015 AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, earning 54 of a possible 62 first-place votes.
* The Nittany Lions were voted No. 1 in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 10th time in the last 11 years. Four Nittany Lions earned preseason All-Big Ten honors.
ITS A WRAP: PENN STATE CLASSIC IN REVIEW
The Nittany Lions swept past Buffalo, Stony Brook and Villanova in the 2015 opening weekend to capture the Penn State Classic title. Senior Megan Courtney highlighted the week with Penn State Classic Most Outstanding Player honors, while redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti joined her on the all-tournament team.
Averaging 3.83 blocks per set on the week, Penn State commanded a 34.5 - 9.0 advantage in the blocking margin against its opponents. Four different Nittany Lions totaled double digit blocks this past weekend, led by 19 from sophomore Heidi Thelen, who had a career-high nine blocks against Stony Brook.
Courtney fueled the offense with 3.89 kills per set during the undefeated weekend, helped out by back-to-back double figure kills against Stony Brook and Villanova. She logged a double-double against the Wildcats with 16 kills and 13 digs.
WEEK 2: AVCA TOP 25 COACHES' POLL UPDATE
Penn State remained atop the AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll for the second consecutive week, earning 54 of a possible 62 first place votes. Including PSU, this week's poll features more than half of the Big Ten conference teams with seven in the top 25 and one receiving votes.
This weekend's opponents are also represented in the poll, with Colorado rising to No. 21 and Stanford remaining at No. 2.
THREE EARN PENN STATE CLASS ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Following back-to-back double-digit kill performances in the same day, senior Megan Courtney earned Penn State Classic Most Outstanding Player honors. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti each earned spots on the All-Tournament team.
Courtney led the team with 11 kills on .647 hitting against Stony Brook before returning later in the evening to lead the team with a double-double (16 kills, 13 digs) against Villanova. Whitney finished the week ranked second on the team with 3.44 kills per set, having posted 11 kills on .400 hitting vs. Buffalo and 14 kills on 429 hitting against Villanova. Frantti was third on the team with 2.44 kills per set last week and third with 2.33 digs per set. She had 10 kills against Stony Brook and a career-high 12 digs against Villanova.
PENN STATE ANNOUNCES LIVE AUDIO IN 2015
Beginning in 2015, Penn State fans worldwide will be able to tune into a live audio broadcast. The audio broadcast will be available exclusively on GoPSUSports.com and offered to all fans free of charge. This weekend's matches will feature current Penn State's Jack Milewski on play-by-play, joined by PSU junior defensive specialist Laura Broerman.
SUCCESS IN THE SEASON-OPENER
Penn State improved to 32-7-1 all-time in season-openers after sweeping Buffalo in the first match of the 2015 season. The win against the Bulls marks the Nittany Lions' fourth consecutive season-opening victory.
ROOKIE DEBUT
Four Nittany Lions made their collegiate debuts for Penn State last weekend including, Bryanna Weiskircher, Keeton Holcomb, Wilma Rivera and Nia Reed. Weiskircher and Rivera each made their debuts at the setting position, while Holcomb earned a pair of starting libero spots against Stony Brook and Villanova. Reed made an appearance against Stony Brook.
WHITNEY JOINS BIG TEN FOREIGN TOUR
Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney joined the inaugural Big Ten Women's Volleyball Foreign Tour this summer. For the first time in conference history, Big Ten volleyball student-athletes from all 14 schools traveled overseas to both compete, and participate in community services initiatives. Whitney and the Big Ten Volleyball Foreign Tour Team traveled to Slovenia, Croatia and Italy this summer, opening the trip in Maribor, Slovenia. Northwestern's Keylor Chan served as the team's head coach, while Indiana's Paul Koncir and Rutgers' Phuong Louong traveled as assistant coaches.
PENN STATE TOPS AVCA PRESEASON POLL RANKINGS
Penn State women's volleyball earned the No. 1 overall ranking in the 2015 AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second consecutive season. Penn State is among six Big Ten schools to be ranked within the AVCA Top 25 and one of four conference programs to be voted within the top 10. Penn State received 54 of a possible 62 votes in the preseason poll.
NITTANY LIONS NAMED BIG TEN PRESEASON FAVORITE
Penn State earned the No. 1 ranking in the 2015 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll, marking the 10th time in the last 11 years the Nittany Lions have been picked to win the league. The Big Ten Preseason poll is selected by votes from all 14 conference head coaches.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is well represented on the Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten team, with more selections than any other conference program this year. 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Haleigh Washington highlights Penn State's four preseason All-Big Ten honorees as a unanimous selection. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney, senior Megan Courtney and sophomore Ali Frantti round out the group of honorees.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn State hits the road next week, traveling to South Bend, Ind. for the Golden Dome Invitational. The Nittany Lions will take on Eastern Kentucky Friday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m. before meeting Mississippi State and tournament host Notre Dame Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
