Lady Spikers get preseason Big Ten honors

The Penn State women's volleyball team is the talk of the Big Ten, and the season doesn't start for more than a month.

"We had to be one of the top five teams in the conference," Penn State coach Russ Rose said. "But we know nobody is going to give us anything this season."

Penn State received a total of 121 votes in the poll, including all 11 first-place votes. Michigan State, which tied the Lady Lions for the Big Ten title last season, placed second in the poll with 109 votes. The Spartans were followed by Wisconsin with 95 and Ohio State with 81.

"It was nice it was an unanimous vote," Rose said. "Obviously the other coaches respect our players, but as the saying goes, 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch.' "

Adding to the excitement of what could be a banner year for Penn State is the selection of three Lady Lions to the preseason All-Big Ten team. Senior Terri Zemaitis and sophomores Lauren Cacciamani and Bonnie Bremner were unanimous picks to the squad. The only other player selected unanimously was last year's Big Ten Player of the Year, Vanessa Wouters of Ohio State.

Zemaitis, the 1995 Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Year, was on the America Volleyball Coaches Association All-America team last season, with 485 kills and a .318 hitting percentage. Zemaitis is excited for the upcoming season.

"We knew very well we're going to have a good team," Zemaitis said.

Bremner and Cacciamani each had stellar freshmen seasons in 1996. Bremner, the first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is the leading returning hitter in the conference with a .386 hitting percentage. Cacciamani was a big boost to helping the Lady Lions post a 31-3 record last season and was 10th in the nation in blocks.

"Bonnie and Lauren are great players," Rose said. "I'm not surprised at their selections to the team."

This could be just the beginning of the preseason hype for Penn State. The Lady Lions should be a top five team when the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll is announced, in addition to the fact Penn State will face one of its most treacherous non-conference schedules ever, including Nebraska, Texas and defending national champion Stanford.

The Lady Lions will start preparing for the upcoming season in early August, with their first match of the season Aug. 22 in the State Farm/NACWAA Classic in Palo Alto, Calif., against Brigham Young.

Rose said, "I feel this conference helps us to prepare to win the national title."