Oct. 20, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 9 Penn State (17-3, 9-0 Big Ten) will look to maintain its perfect conference record on Saturday evening, as the Nittany Lions travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
FIRST SERVE:
- Penn State enters Saturday night on the nation's second longest win streak after winning its last 15 matches. Most recently, the Nittany Lions swept No. 19 Ohio State, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17).
- Junior classmates Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington led the offense, both logging double-figure kills against the Buckeyes. Lee had a team-high 12, while Washington posted 10 on a team-best .769 efficiency.
- Penn State outblocked Ohio-State, 11.0-4.0 in the most recent match. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Tori Gorrell led the way with six stuffs, while Washington and junior right side Heidi Thelen each contributed three apiece.
- Washington and Lee both rank among the nation's best in statistical categories. Washington ranks second in the country in hitting percentage (.467), while Simone Lee's 4.11 kills per set rank 40th in NCAA Division I.
- 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 .110 efficiency.
- PSU finds itself among the top 30 in the country in two other statistical categories. The Nittany Lions have hit the ball at a .314 clip in 2016, coming in atop the league and second nationally. Penn State also averages 2.65 blocks per set, coming in sixth in the Big Ten and 26th among Division I programs
- Penn State climbed into the single digits in the latest release of the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, now ranking No. 9 in the country. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 9 in the Preseason Poll, before moving to No. 13 and No. 10 in last week's release. PSU has 10 opponents represented within the top 25. Including the Nittany Lions, a total of nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25.
PENN STATE AGAINST MICHIGAN ALL-TIME:
Penn State takes on Michigan with a 48-4 edge all-time. Penn State leads the series in Ann Arbor, 21-3, and is on a one-match win streak against the Wolverines.
15-STRAIGHT
After opening the season at 2-3, the Nittany Lions have rattled off 14 straight wins, dropping just three sets. The Nittany Lions' 15-match winning streak marks the second longest current streak in the country, coming behind only San Diego (16 straight) and tying with Miami Ohio (15 straight). Penn State's streak outlasts its best from 2015, in which PSU opened the season on a 13-match win streak. Over the 15-match run, Penn State has dropped just three sets.
NITTANY LIONS' POTENT DEFENSE LEADS NATION
In the ninth week of play, Penn State has become the toughest defense in the nation for opposing teams to cope with. While 26th nationally in blocks per set, the Nittany Lions have forced opponents to .110 hitting combined, marking the lowest opponent hitting percentage in the country. The next lowest opponent hitting percentage in the Big Ten is .036 points higher, with Nebraska limiting foes to a .146 clip.
PENN STATE OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY RANKS TOP IN THE LEAGUE
Along with stifling other teams' offense, Penn State has been extremely successful keeping its offense among the top in the country. Following eight weeks of play, the Nittany Lions rank first in the Big Ten and second in Division I in hitting efficiency, attacking a .314 clip. The Nittany Lions trail only Florida, who has a .323 efficiency. Penn State's Haleigh Washington leads the league and ranks second in the country with a .467 clip.
LEE'S OFFENSE GUIDES NITTANY LIONS
With double-figure kills in all but three matches this season, junior Simone Lee's 4.11 kills per set leads the Big Ten standings and 40th nationally. Lee also ranks 37th in points nationally, logging 4.66 per set. Lee posted a record-setting 30 kills against Minnesota before posting 22 in the two sweeps against No. 22 Purdue and Indiana.
DETERING AT THE HELM
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 15 consecutive matches, Detering has become an anchor at the position. Detering posted a career-high 61 assists and logged 10 digs against Minnesota, leading to her first ever Big Ten Setter of the Week honors. Last week, Detering had 54 assists and 10 kills to guide PSU two sweeps against Purdue and Indiana.
WASHINGTON SECOND NATIONALLY IN EFFICIENCY
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 .467 clip in all matches this season, the Colorado Springs, Colorado product leads the Big Ten and ranks second in NCAA Division I in hitting percentage.
THELEN SETTLES IN AT 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 fourth on the team in both hitting percentage (.329) and kills (121). Most recently, Thelen logged six kills and three blocks in the matchup against Indiana.
WHITE LOCKED IN AT LIBERO
With 19 matches of the 2016 season in the books, freshman defensive specialist Kendall White has made a name for herself this season, starting each match at libero. Since the Indianapolis, Indiana product has been exceptional, leading the team with 3.69 digs per set, good for eighth in the conference. The rookie is half a dig per set shy of the conference's top five. Through conference matches, White has charted 95 digs, good for a 3.65 per set average.
AVCA POLL UPDATE: RELEASE 9
Penn State climbed into the single digits in the latest release of the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, now ranking No. 9 in the country. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 9 in the Preseason Poll, before moving to No. 13 and No. 10 in last week's release. PSU has 10 opponents represented within the top 25. Including the Nittany Lions, a total of nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25. For the first time in 2016, Penn State received a first-place
LEE, DETERING EARN B1G WEEKLY HONORS
After another impressive weekend, Penn State junior Simone Lee was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, while classmate Abby Detering earned the title of Big Ten Setter of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday, 0ct. 10 .
Lee paced the Nittany Lions in offensively in both its matches, logging her 14th and 15th outings in which she led the team in kills. She posted 30 kills against Minnesota and 11 kills in the match against Rutgers. The Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, native also added 12 digs and five blocks in the eight sets of play.
Detering earned Big Ten Setter of the Week honors after a weekend in which she led the Nittany Lions to a .346 hitting clip as the team averaged 16.00 kills per set in the wins over No.1 Minnesota and Rutgers. Detering logged 101 assists while adding 15 digs, eight kills, three blocks and three aces. The Mentor, Ohio, native logged her fourth double-double of the season with 61 assists and 10 digs in the upset of Minnesota. She guided four players to log double-figure kills in the match.
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 will head to Minnesota and Wisconsin for one of the toughest weekends on the schedule to date following the showdown with Michigan. The road weekend begins with the No. 4 Badgers on Friday, Oct. 28 at 9 p.m. Penn State then travels to Minneapolis to face the No. 3 Golden Gophers at 7:30 p.m.