Basketball: Men's

Coach Ed DeChellis announced the addition of two walk-ons to the Penn State men's basketball team for the 2010-11 season.

New Castle-native Nick Colella and 6-foot-9 forward Alan Wisniewski are now officially on the Nittany Lions' 15-man roster. Only 14 players, however, are healthy as 6-foot-9 sophomore Sasa Borovnjak tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in preseason and will not play this year.

Colella comes to the Lions after playing two seasons at Penn State-Behrend. As a sophomore, he played in 16 games off the bench, averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 guard -- a 2008 New Castle High graduate -- was an Academic All-Conference selection for the Lions, who finished last season with a 21-8 record.

Wisniewski, a Sterling Heights, Mich. native, averaged 7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in his senior season at Bishop Foley Catholic. The freshman, at 6-foot-9, is now the second-tallest player on the Lions' roster, behind only 6-foot-10 senior Jeff Brooks.

Read this week's Collegian for more on this year's walk-ons.

Sports Editorials

Current Overall Standings:

Athletes: 56-34

Paul Casella, assistant sports editor: 56-34

Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund president: 56-34

Alex Cohen, Paternoville president: 52-38

Steve Hennessey, sports editor: 50-40

Zack Kreiger, SPA executive director: 50-40

Students: 49-41

Christian Ragland, UPUA president: 48-42

Week 8 Picks:

Denver @ San Francisco:

Jacksonville @ Dallas:

Miami @ Cincinnati:

Buffalo @ Kansas City:

Washington @ Detroit:

Carolina @ St. Louis:

Green Bay @ NY Jets:

Tennessee @ San Diego:

Minnesota @ New England:

Tampa Bay @ Arizona:

Seattle @ Oakland:

Pittsburgh @ New Orleans:

Houston @ Indianapolis:

Sports Editorials

Keep in mind we took our "bye" week last week, so there were no picks from week 7. Therefore, the standings below show how each person fared with their week six picks and the updated overall standings. There is currently a three-way tie at the top of the standings between the athletes, assistant sports editor Paul Casella and Jim Regan, the president of the Nittany Lion Fund.

Week Six Standings:

Zack Kreiger, SPA executive director: 11-3

Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund president: 10-4

Alex Cohen, Paternoville president: 10-4

Christian Ragland, UPUA president: 9-5

Paul Casella, assistant sports editor: 9-5

Daneen Zug, athlete: 9-5

Steve Hennessey, sports editor: 7-7

Brian Clionsky, student picks: 7-7

Updated Overall Standings:

Athletes: 56-34

Casella: 56-34

Regan: 56-34

Cohen: 52-38

Hennessey: 50-40

Kreiger: 50-40

Students: 49-41

Ragland: 48-42

Basketball: Men's

Volleyball: Women's

The second half of the Big Ten schedule begins this weekend, as the No. 9 Penn State women's volleyball (17-4, 7-3 Big Ten) team faces two opponents it lost two earlier in the year. Here's what to look for in the two matchups:

Penn State vs. Indiana (17-5, 5-5); 6:30 pm, Friday at Rec Hall

Player to watch: Senior middle hitter Ashley Benson. The 6-foot-3 middle hitter dominated in the Oct. 9 match against the Nittany Lions when she recorded 12 kills on .529 hitting and five blocks. College Volleyball Update named her the National Player of the Week for her recent performances against Michigan and Michigan State. The Lions will need to slow her down Friday.

Strength: Defense. The Hoosiers have allowed opponents to hit just .156 this season, which is good enough for second best in the Big Ten. The Lions hit well against Indiana when the two teams met earlier this season, but Penn State's errors ended up causing the loss.

Weakness: Kills. The Hoosiers haven't recorded a lot of kills this season. They've relied on solid all-around play and jumped on opponents' errors. If an opponent doesn't make many mistakes, Indiana struggles to accumulate many points.

Bottom Line: Penn State wins, 3-0. Friday's crowd should be a good one, and the Lions should feed off the home-court advantage. If Penn State competes with good energy for the entire match, it should be able to win this one.

Penn State vs. Purdue (14-7, 5-5); 5 pm, Saturday at Rec Hall

Player to watch: Sophomore outside hitter Ariel Turner. She's been responsible for a lot of Purdue's offense this season. Turner averages 4.77 points/game, which is second among Big Ten players. She is targeted with a lot of sets, evident by the 55 total attacks Turner had in the Boilermakers' last match.

Strength: Blocking. Purdue is the only team better than the Lions when it comes to blocks in conference matches. The Boilermakers aren't outstanding in any offensive categories, so they need to score some points via the block to stay in matches.

Weakness: Serving. Purdue hasn't been able to score a lot of points off its serve. In fact, Purdue is last in the Big Ten in service aces/game. This could play into the Lions' favor if they can pass well and get into an offensive groove.

Bottom Line: Penn State wins, 3-1. The Lions should be able to handle Purdue at home, but there may be less energy with much of the campus focused on the football game at Beaver Stadium. If the motivation remains consistent, it could easily be a sweep.

-Ryan Loy.

Volleyball: Women's

For the third time this season, freshman outside hitter Deja McClendon was named co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She shares this week's award with Illinois libero Jennifer Bonilla.

McClendon — the 6-foot-1 Louisville, Ky. native — played an integral role in the No. 9 Nittany Lions' sweeps over Ohio State and No. 22 Northwestern this week. In the two matches combined, McClendon tallied 21 kills and 10 digs, an average of 3.5 kills and 1.8 digs per set.

Wisconsin’s Allison Wack was the Big Ten overall Player of the Week and Indiana’s Ashley Benson as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

The Lions will face Benson and the Hoosiers 7 p.m. Friday at Rec Hall.

-Emily Kaplan

Ice Hockey: Men's

After releasing their second edition of this season's top-25, the American Collegiate Hockey Association was not impressed enough by the Penn State Icers, dropping them to No. 5 in the poll.

The Icers slid one spot, despite sweeping No. 17 Central Oklahoma in a two-game series last weekend. The Icers' most recent opponent, Ohio University, fell four spots to No. 6. The rankings were released before Ohio traveled to Happy Valley to take on the Icers and split a two-game set.

The two-time defending ACHA Division 1 National Champions, Lindenwood University, located in Saint Charles, Mo., remained at the top receiving 33 of a possible 41 votes. Davenpost University, located in Grand Rapids, Mi., claimed the No. 2 spot after rising from the seventh slot  just two weeks ago.

Penn State was one of five teams to receive a first-place vote.

The third ranking of the regular season will be released on November 5.

Ice Hockey: Men's

Forwards-

Friday - In Friday's matchup, the Icers were able to capitalize on limited scoring chances to steal a game with three third-period goals. Forecheck was somewhat lacking, and the physical style the Icers displayed throughout the rest of the season was nowhere to be found. That said, winning is winning, and the Icers did a solid job to stay undefeated.

Saturday - was a different story. While three goals in a game is solid against a good team like Ohio, their play on the defensive end was sorely lacking. The six goals allowed by the Icers can not all be put on the defensemen. Especially on the penalty kill, the forwards on the point were out of position multiple times leading to three powerplay goals.

Overall grade- C

Defensemen-

Friday - Great game for the defense Friday. Ohio went 0-for-4 on the powerplay, and most of the credit has to go to the defense. While Hume was solid, any rebound was instantly cleared. One negative was neutral zone passing. Multiple times passes were intercepted leading to scoring chances and the Bobcats only goal.

Saturday - Saturday was a much different story for the defensemen. Like we said, not all the blame can fall on the defense, but anytime you allow five straight goals, you're putting a lot of pressure on your offense. The Icers also seemed to ease up, after playing so physical last weekend. Coach Balboni cited the lack of physical play as the main reason for the six-spot dropped on the Icers.

Overall grade- B-

Goaltending-

Friday and Saturday was night and day for Teddy Hume, playing spectacular Friday night and then laying an egg Saturday with one of the worst performances of his career. Hume was impressive Friday, facing a barrage of 30 shots from the No. 6 team in the country.

Saturday was a completely different story. Hume allowed five goals and rarely controlled the rebounds or the pace of the game. After getting pulled by Balboni, John Jay relieved Hume, and played well considering it was his first action of the season. Jay gave the Icers a slim chance, giving up only one goal on a power play.

Overall grade-

Friday - A

Saturday- F

Sports Editorials

Consider it our bye week.

But due to some technical difficulties with the website and some hectic schedules for myself and fellow editor, Steve Hennessey, we were unable to compile everyone's picks for this week's games.

We'll be back with updated overall records later in the day, and back with picks, as scheduled, next week.

-Casella

Basketball: Men's

The first USA Today/ESPN Preseason Top 25 Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll of the 2010-11 season was released Thursday, and Big Ten teams were well represented.

Basketball: Men's

Sasa Borovnjak's injury to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) leaves Penn State with a lack of depth in its front court. Without the 6-foot-9 Serbian native, the Lions have only four players over 6-foot-8. Those players are Drew Jones, Jeff Brooks, Jonathan Graham and Billy Oliver. With Oliver and Graham lacking experience, Jones and Brooks may be forced to play a lot of minutes this season.

Here's a look at some of the top big men across the conference Penn State will get pretty familiar with this season.

Purdue's JuJuan Johnson- 6-foot-10

Johnson has both the size and experience to help Purdue overcome the preseason injury to Robbie Hummel. The senior has decent shooting range and is a force down low. Johnson is coming off a second-team All-Big Ten season where he averaged more than 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game. Last year, Johnson torched Penn State for 21 points and 10 rebounds by getting to the charity stripe 14 times. With two relatively early games against Purdue this season, the Lions will need to solidify its frontcourt without Borovnjak early in nonconference play.

Ohio State's Jared Sullinger- 6-foot-9

Following in the footsteps of Greg Oden and Evan Turner, Sullinger is quite possibly the Buckeye's next big star. A highly touted freshman, Sullinger is earning comparisons to NBA star Al Jefferson and he is expected to be a lottery selection in this year's draft. At 280 pounds, the freshman has size to terrorize opponents. Scouting reports praise him for his physicality in the post and despite his age he should adapt quickly to the college game. It will be interesting to see how the experienced Drew Jones handles the young but skilled big man when the Lions travel to Ohio State on Jan. 15.

Illinois's Mike Tisdale- 7-foot-1

Sixteen points, 13 rebounds and a whooping seven blocks. That was Tisdale's statline in Penn State's one-point loss to Illinois last year. At over seven feet tall, Tisdale has the build to dominate opponents. He also has the experience as he is entering his senior year. His height makes him a match up problem for most teams and Penn State is no different. Without much presence in the paint, and Jones' tendency to get into foul trouble, the Lions will struggle against players like Tisdale. Not the most gifted athlete, a player with his pure size and presence will create problems for coach Ed Dechellis when figuring out his lineup. Borovnjak was the perfect type of role player off the bench to come in and spell Jones to cover a player such as Tisdale. Tisdale's above average shooting ability for a big man makes him a factor in the conference.

Volleyball: Women's

For the first time since it dropped back-to-back matches, the Penn State women’s volleyball team is competing on the road. The No. 9 Nittany Lions (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) take on Ohio State at 7 tonight in Columbus, Ohio. Here is what to look for in this match with the Buckeyes (16-5, 4-4):

Player to Watch: Sophomore outside hitter Emily Danks. She’s third on the team in kills with 139, but it’s Danks’ serve that makes her special. She has 52 service aces on the season, which leads all Big Ten players. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter has the ability to hurt the opposing teams in several ways. If Penn State doesn’t pass well off her serve, Danks could pose a problem.

Strengths: Serving and blocking. The Buckeyes have the ability to score points without necessarily recording a lot of kills. Ohio State leads the conference with 131 aces this season. Meanwhile, they have out-blocked their opponents, 213.5-100.5.

Weakness: Serve receiving. In sticking with the serving theme, Ohio State has struggled to handle the opposition’s serve, as well. The Buckeyes are 10th in the Big Ten in serve defense, and they are allowing 1.12 aces/game.

Bottom Line: Penn State wins, 3-2. Both teams are strong offensively, so it may come down to who’s the better passing side. Expect senior Alyssa D’Errico to step up and have a strong game.

-Ryan Loy.

Ice Hockey: Men's

Junior forward Nick Seravalli is on schedule as he recovers from full groin reconstructive surgery he had in the offseason.

He said he is about 2-3 weeks away from returning, aiming to be back to face Liberty in two weeks or West Chester a week later. He was on a bike during Saturday's game against Central Oklahoma, timing sprints from warm ups until the start of the second period.

"I felt pretty good but still have a little bit of work ahead of me," Seravalli said.

Last year in his sophomore season, Seravalli put up 20 goals and 16 assists playing an integral role in the Icers' success.

Sports Editorials

Christian Ragland - UPUA president
Daneen Zug - senior on the Penn State field hockey team (this spot will rotate among Penn State athletes. Christine Nairn, Talor Battle, DJ. Jackson, Paul Daley, and Brad Pataky were our athletes for the past five weeks)
Alex Cohen - Paternoville president
Zack Krieger - Executive director of SPA
Brian Clionsky - student (this spot will rotate among Penn State students). Clionsky is a senior majoring in finance.
Jim Regan - Nittany Lion Fund president
Steve Hennessey - Daily Collegian sports editor
Bill Landis - Daily Collegian night editor
Paul Casella - Daily Collegian assistant sports editor

Miami @ Green Bay

Detroit @ NY Giants

Seattle @ Chicago

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay

Atlanta @ Philadelphia

Kansas City @ Houston

San Diego @ St. Louis

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh

Baltimore @ New England

NY Jets @ Denver

Oakland @ San Francisco

Dallas @ Minnesota

Indianapolis @ Washington

Tennessee @ Jacksonville

Volleyball: Women's

Volleyball: Women's

The Penn State women's volleyball team returns to Rec Hall this weekend for a pair of conference matches. The No. 9 Nittany Lions -- looking to rebound from a disappointing road trip last weekend in which they dropped matches to unranked Purdue and Indiana -- kick things off Friday night against No. 19 Minnesota. Here's a little preview of what to expect:

Friday at 7 p.m. vs. No. 19 Minnesota (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten)

Player to Watch:   Freshman Ashley Wittman. The 6-foot Minnesota native is the only hitter in the NCAA averaging over 3.0 kills per set and 3.0 digs per set -- pretty impressive for a rookie. It'll be interesting to see her go head to head with the Lions' star freshman, Deja McClendon. 

Strength: Blocking. The Gophers are a strong, physical team in the middle. They are third in the Big Ten with 2.92 blocks per set and lead all conference teams with a whopping 55 solo blocks. In comparison, the Lions -- who lead the Big Ten in blocks per set -- have recorded just 20 solo blocks this season. 

Weakness: Injuries. The Gophers will be without their two stars this weekend. Hailey Cowles, a senior outside hitter who was named to last year's Final Four All-Tournament team, and Lauren Gibbemeyer, a returning first-team All-American middle hitter, are both out indefinitely. That's certainly a sigh of relief for the Lions, however they can't take Minnesota lightly. The Gophers have depth, and have found ways to win without Cowles and Gibbemeyer for most of the season.

Bottom Line: Penn State wins, 3-2. The Lions struggle at times, but play off the Rec Hall advantage for the big conference win.

Sports Editorials

Week five in the NFL saw a number of upsets (Arizona over New Orleans and Oakland over San Diego, to name a couple), and those upsets took a toll on our contestants' picks. Only two pickers this week, women's soccer player Christine Nairn and sports editor Steve Hennessey, notched records above .500. Five others came in right at .500, going 7-7, while one picker stumbled to a 5-9 record.

Five of this week's matchups were one-score games, so a lot of those late touchdowns and field goals were the difference between some competitors finishing near the top of the standings this week or near the bottom.

As far as the overall standings, assistant sports editor remains in first place, but thanks to a week-best 9-5 showing from Christine Nairn this past weekend, the athletes have moved into a tie for first place at 47-29. Jim Regan sits just one game back at 46-30.

Below are the records from this week and the updated overall standings.

Week Five Standings

Christine Nairn, athlete: 9-5

Steve Hennessey, sports editor: 8-6

Christian Ragland, UPUA president: 7-7

Alex Cohen, Paternoville president: 7-7

Zack Krieger, SPA executive director : 7-7

Paul Casella, assistant sports editor: 7-7

Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund president: 7-7

Mike Flock, student: 5-9

Overall Records:

Athletes: 47-29

Paul Casella, asst. sports editor: 47-29

Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund president: 46-30

Steve Hennessey, sports editor: 43-33

Students: 42-34

Alex Cohen, Paternoville president: 42-34

Christian Ragland, UPUA president: 39-37

Zack Kreiger, SPA executive director: 39-37

Volleyball: Women's

Arielle Wilson's play has certainly not gone unnoticed.

The senior middle hitter was named one of 10 finalists for the inaugural Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for women's volleyball. Two other Big Ten players, Lauren Gibbemeyer of Minnesota and Laura DeBruler of Illinois, were also nominated.

Wilson has started and played in every set of every match thus far. A Broadview, Ill., native, Wilson leads Penn State with a .409 hitting percentage and is third on the team with 154 kills. The 6-foot-3 hitter also leads the team with 73 blocks.

The award recognizes athletes for community, classroom, character and competition, and online voting is open from now until Nov. 23.

-Jake Kaplan

Volleyball: Women's

The Penn State women’s volleyball team remained in the top 10 of the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll — but just barely.
 
The Nittany Lions (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten) are ranked No. 9, one spot behind Big Ten foe Illinois.
 
Florida, who the Lions defeated in four sets earlier in the season, is the new No. 1 team. Stanford, Nebraska, Hawaii and USC round out the top five.
 
Michigan (No. 15), Minnesota (No. 19) and Northwestern (No. 20) are also in the top 25, while Indiana received votes.
 
Meanwhile, there are still several teams in the Big Ten with a shot at the conference title.
 
Penn State’s losses to Purdue and Indiana were magnified after Illinois dropped its first conference match to Michigan — meaning the Lions missed a shot to be tied at the top of the standings.
 
Following three weekends of Big Ten matches, Illinois, Michigan and Northwestern are tied for first place with 5-1 conference records. Purdue and Minnesota are tied for fourth, while Penn State sits alone in sixth at 3-3.
 
The Lions will have a shot to gain on Minnesota Friday when the Gophers visit Rec Hall. Penn State also has an opportunity to gain some momentum in the conference Saturday against Iowa. The Hawkeyes are just 1-5 in Big Ten play.
 
Other key matches to pay attention to are Purdue at Illinois and Northwestern at Michigan, which both occur Friday.

-Ryan Loy.

Sports Editorials

Volleyball: Women's

Kristin Carpenter has often been described as a "spunky" player by her teammates. But all most people know about her is she's the player with the task of replacing Alisha Glass as the setter for the Penn State volleyball team.
 
Like every athlete, Carpenter has a life outside of sports. In fact, she has a somewhat unique hobby.
 
Here's what she had to say about her experience with sailboat racing.
 
"I’m a skipper for one of friends back at home, one of my mom’s co-workers. The Chesapeake Bay, when it’s windy, is really nice. I’m not actually directing the sailboat. I just change the sails and hang out. I sacrifice by body. Just in case the sailboat tips over, I’ll be the first one hitting the water."
 
The sophomore's hometown of Mechanicsville, Va. is less than an hour and half from the Chesapeake Bay.
 
As far as we know, she's not related to this guy.

-Ryan Loy.

Volleyball: Women's

The Penn State women's volleyball team hits the road this weekend with matches against Purdue and Indiana. Here's a little preview of what to expect Friday night when the No. 4 Nittany Lions kick things off against the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind.

Player to Watch: Sophomore Ariel Turner. She's the real deal. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Colorado -- one of Purdue's six returning starters -- currently leads the Big Ten with 4.64 kills per set. The Lions know she's the go-to-player for big swings, and will definitely try to contain her.

Sports Editorials

Brought to you by Joe McIntyre

7:46: Congratulations to Roy Halladay on his no-hitter. Game Two is at 6:07 p.m. Friday evening in Philadelphia.

7:44: Roy Halladay's first postseason start qualifies as a success.

7:42: And Roy Halladay has thrown only the second no-hitter in postseason history. It's his second no-hitter of the season.

7:40: One out away...

7:39: I wonder if Jim Joyce is watching?

7:38: Two outs away...

7:37: Doc will return to the mound three outs shy of the first postseason no-hitter since Don Larsen's perfect game in game five of the 1956 World Series.

7:26: Roy Halladay is three outs away from a no hitter. If your television isn't on now, do so immediately.

7:25: Four outs away...

7:24: Five outs away...

7:22: Roy Halladay steps onto the mound in Philadelphia, six outs away from a no-hitter.

7:18: Logan Ondrusek out of the game, Bill Bray is the replacement. Two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

7:11: Lauren Hart belts out God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. Getting the wild and crazy Philly folk prepped for the Flyers season, but at this moment it's the last thing on their mind.

7:08: Doc's Patients go bonkers! Halladay has yet to give up a hit through seven. K's Rolen for the third time.

6:58: Roy Halladay steps up to the plate to rousing cheers from the Philly faithful. Do they expect another RBI hit? He grounds out to the pitcher.

6:54: Pitching change for the Reds, Logan Ondrusek enters the game. Throws the ball away on a comebacker, Ibanez to second, no outs.

6:51: Roy Halladay has tossed 69 pitches, still no-hitting the Reds through six. Those butterflies may be creeping back.

6:43: Stubbs makes a basket catch..."Willie Mays style."

6:38: No-hitter still in tact for Halladay through five. Making hitters look downright silly.

6:36: And there goes the perfect game, Halladay walks Jay Bruce after a six pitch at-bat.

6:33: Boos shower down on Scott Rolen after he strikes out for the second time in the game.

6:30: Apologies for no updates during the bottom of the third. Have no fear, Wings Over are en route.

6:20: Halladay still doing the Megan Fox. Perfect...through four.

6:18: Brandon Phillips mans up. Doesn't pull a Jeter and pretend to be hit by the pitch. Strikes out looking in the end.

6:15: First inning without a Phillies run, 4-0 after three.

6:13: TBS's Pitch Tracker shows nearly every pitch to be a strike, don't want to show any disrespect to the almighty umps.

6:10: Travis Wood hails from the old stomping grounds of former president Bill Clinton. Don't have any idea what that means, just saying.

6:05: Travis Wood puts good wood on the ball, but it's caught by Werth. Halladay perfect through three

5:59: The rain is falling in Philadelphia and so are the Phillies' hits. 4-0 Phillies after two.

5:55: Volquez out of the game after 56 pitches, two walks and four hits. Travis Wood enters.

5:54: "Dude, the Phillies are really good at baseball." -Tony Barton, Icers reporter- 4-0 Phillies

5:44: Roy Halladay (no misprint) with an RBI single. Ruiz scores. 2-0 Phillies.

5:40: Volquez looks like a Chia Pet under that Cincinnati cap. Tremendous look.

5:30: Six up, six down for Halladay. Werth due up for the Phillies.

5:21: Shane Victorino slaps the rear end of home plate umpire John Hirschbeck, must be a Hawaiian sign of affection.

5:21: Phillies take the lead c/o a sacrifice fly from Chase Utley. 1-0 Phillies

5:18: First hit of the game is a double down the left field line from Shane Victorino. There goes the prefect game.

5:15: Volquez's first playoff start begins with a flyout to center.

5:12: Halladay with a perfect one, two, three inning. Butterflies are dissipating.

5:08: First pitch from Halladay - a ground ball out to SS Jimmy Rollins

5:02: Five minutes til game time. T.O. says, "Get yo Cracker Jacks ready."

Sports Editorials

With the start of the MLB playoffs less than an hour away, some members of the Daily Collegian's sports staff offer their opinions on how this year's postseason will turn out:

Steve Hennessey, sports editor:

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 4:Reds were one of the feel good stories of the year, but Roy Halladay is hungry for a World Series and it starts here.

Giants over Braves in 5: The Giants have overcome injuries throughout the second half, but they've still managed to put together the second best second half National League record. Low-scoring games could go either way, but I'll go with the G-Men.

ALDS

Yankees over Twins in 4: The Yankees are lucky they're running into the Twins' lineup with their mediocre starting pitching staff, but they also have the best offense in baseball. Oh, and CC Sabathia in a short series followed by one of the best playoff pitchers of all-time? I'll take those stats to the bank.

Rangers over Rays in 5: This is the most intriguing of all the first-round match-ups. The Rays have to prove that it's possible to beat a Cliff Lee-pitched team in a short series. The Rangers got swept the last time they played Tampa, and they're going to face David Price, the AL All-Star starter.

ALCS

Yankees over Rangers in 6: The Rangers are really, really dangerous, but I don't think it's their year yet. If the Rangers get past the Rays, I don't think they can shut down New York's bats. Even if Cliff Lee pitches three times, the Yanks have a more complete pitching staff than Texas. That's not to underestimate the lethal Texas lineup, but I'm gonna go with my gut here. Yankees find a way to get back to the Series in the same year the Boss passes away.

NLCS

Phillies over Giants in 5: No brainer. Phillies getting to the World Series is one of the biggest locks I can remember in baseball.

World Series

Phillies over Yankees in 5: No commentary here. Phillies have the pitching depth to stifle the Yankees' bats.

Paul Casella, assistant sports editor:

ALDS

Rangers over Rays in 5

Yankees over Twins in 3

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 4

Giants over Braves in 4

ALCS

Yankees over Rangers in 6

NLCS

Phillies over Giants in 5

World Series

Yankees over Phillies in 7

Joe McIntyre, field hockey reporter:

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 3: Phillies have the pitching, the hitting, the experience, the Chooch. Reds have the hitting and Aroldis "The Cuban Missile" Chapman. Give it to the Phils.

Giants over Braves in 4: Braves needed one win and barely beat a Phillies squad who was playing only half its team. Giants have the pitching teams need on the playoffs. Pat "The Bat" will have 2 HR in the series.

ALDS

Rays over Rangers in 4: After Cliff Lee, who is the Rangers' next starter? Exactly. The Rays and Evan Longoria's mullet will return to the ALCS for the first time since 08.

Twins over Yankees in 5: No AJ Burnett gives the Yanks a step up, but this is the year of the Thome. Twins will hit their Target and move on.

NLCS

Phillies over Giants in 5: There's no denying Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and the one the others call "Third Roy," Cole Hamels. Phils know how to win out West in the NLCS (see 2008 and 2009 Dodgers).

ALCS

Rays over Twins in 6: The Price is right for the Rays to have a rematch of the 2008 World Series with the Phillies.

World Series

Phillies over Rays in 5: As long as the Rays don't see the man with the only plural first name in sports, Danys Baez, the Phillies should get their second ring in three years.

Anthony Barton, Icers reporter:

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 4: Utley/Howard mash three consecutive right-handed pitchers. Reds can't overcome H20.

Giants over Braves in 5: Home field proves important between these similar teams. SF pitching just a little better than Atlanta.

ALDS

Rangers over Rays in 5: Key 2009 Playoff stat- Cliff Lee + Offense can get you to the World Series.

Yankees over Twins in 4: Yankees get lucky. If Morneau had played, NY would have gone home early.

NLCS

Phillies over Giants in 5: Far superior Phillies hitting. 

NLCS MVP: Chase Utley

ALCS

Rangers over Yankees in 6: Cliff Lee gets redemption. On top of that, while the Yankees got younger and more athletic with the addition of Granderson, losing tested playoff veterans Matsui and Damon shows up in playoff lack of offense.

ALCS MVP: Cliff Lee

World Series

Phillies over Rangers in 5: At the end of the day, no team in the playoffs has two starters to match up with the Phillies trio of aces. Along with one of the most potent offensive teams, the Phils win their second title in three seasons. 

World Series MVP: Roy Oswalt

Jared Shanker, sports columnist:

NLDS
Phillies over Reds in 3
Giants over Braves in 5

NLCS
Phillies over Giants 5

ALDS
Yankees over Twins in 4
Rays over Rangers in 4

ALCS
Rays over Yankees in 7

World Series
Rays over Phillies in 6

James Nicol, tennis reporter:

ALDS

Rays in 5: Josh Hamilton is a MVP candidate for the rangers but he has a career average of .232 against the team that drafted him No.1 overall.

Yankees in 4: The Yankees are 9-2 against the Twins in their past 3 postseason meetings.  It looks like the Yanks have reason to be confident in their 3 man rotation.

NLDS

Phillies in 3: Aroldis Chapman should scare the Phillies 3-to-6 lefty hitters with his 105-mph fastball, but the Phillies starting rotation scares the Reds even more.

Giants in 4: The Giants pitching has been red hot the last month of the season. That doesn’t bode well for a Braves team that has been struggling to hit for any power recently.

ALCS

Rays in 6: Derek Jeter and A-Rod aren't the players they used to be. The Rays are young and they should have no problem getting past the Yankees.

NLCS

Giants in 7: The Phillies bullpen has an ERA a full run higher than the Giants crew. A drawn out series will expose this weakness.

World Series

Rays in 5: The Rays won the AL East and they did it with pitching. Look for them to win a championship for the same reason.

Greg Fernanzdez, rugby reporter:

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 4: Reds young and inexperienced against the Phillies experienced offense and pitching staff.

Giants over Braves in 5: The combination of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain is stronger than Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe.  Stronger pitching offsets the awful hitting. 

NLCS

Phillies over Giants in 5: Phillies offense proves to be too strong for the Giants pitching staff, whose aces have been overworked this year.  Cain is 6th in IP, Lincecum is 11th. 

NLCS MVP: Roy Halladay

ALDS

Rays over Rangers in 5: Cliff Lee back in the postseason. But other than that, who else has been their on that pitching staff? Rays experience pays off in the series. 

Twins over Yankees in 4: I don't know what it is but the Twins are resilient. They have two good starters in Liriano and Pavano. With Pettitte coming off injury, and Phil Hughes going past his "inning limit," the Twins take this one. 

ALCS

Twins over Rays in 7: This was a tough call, with both these teams looking even. Even though the Twins will be without star first baseman Justin Morneau, platoons Jim Thome and Michael Cuddyer have filled in serviceably. This series Delmon Young comes alive and shows up his former team and Joe Mauer has a series for the ages. 

ALCS MVP: Joe Mauer

World Series

Phillies over Twins in 6: Left-handed power arm Francisco Liriano dominates the left-handed heavy Phillies lineup for two games. But after that the Phillies take control, defeating the likes of Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, and Brian Duensing.  Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt pitch four masterpieces, with the Phillies winning game 6 at home. Watch for Jayson Werth to have a big series. 

World Series MVP: Jayson Werth

Kevin Kline, sports copy desk:

NLDS

Phillies in 4

Giants in 5

ALDS

Yankees in 3

Rays in 4

NLCS

Phillies in 6

MVP: Jayson Werth

ALCS

Rays in 6

MVP: Carl Crawford

World Series

Phillies in 6

MVP: Roy Halladay

Ryan Loy, women’s volleyball reporter:

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 4: Security Officer Lewis leads the teams in hits when he records seven tackles of raucous fans. It would be a sweep, but a key error of knocking over an old woman in pursuit of a youngster costs the Phils a game.

Braves over Giants in 4: The Braves split the games in San Francisco and thrive in a motivated home stadium full of fans cheering for one more playoff run under Bobby Cox.

ALDS

Yankees  over Twins in 5: C.C. Sabathia will need to win the first game if the Yankees want to have a chance. New York will be in trouble if Robinson Cano doesn’t find the ability to hit in the playoffs.

Rays over Rangers in 4: The Rays have the pitching to shut down Texas. Tampa Bay’s speed will make a difference.

NLCS

Phillies over Braves in 7: The Braves will put up a valiant effort, but the Phillies rotation is too good to bet against.

ALCS

Rays over Yankees in 6: The Rays played better down the stretch, while the Yankees never played to their full potential. Unless some key players step up, New York will miss out on a World Series rematch.

World Series

Rays over Phillies in 6: The Rays have enough solid pitching to slow down the Phillies. With their speed, Tampa Bay can manufacture enough runs to surprise the Phillies and win the series. The Rec Room will be open late at several Florida retirement homes for a celebration.

World Series MVP: Evan Longoria (finally gets the guy who stole his cap)

Lauren Henderson, staff candidate:

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 4

Braves over Giants in 5: The Braves will try to get back in this one since the Phillies beat them out badly at the end of the season

ALDS

Rays over Rangers in 4: The Rays want a trip back to the World Series again and I don't think Cliff Lee has it together as much as he could

Twins over Yankees in 5: The Yankees are out a couple of key players and the Twins are so random that I think they'll want to make their mark.

NLCS

Phillies over Braves in 6: The Phillies will once again prove they are a stronger, more experienced and patient team.
MVP: Roy Halladay

ALCS
Twins over Rays in 7: I like the Twins because they've gotten it together and worked hard.
MVP: Joe Mauer

World Series

Phillies over Twins in 6

MVP: Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels

Sean O’Connor, staff candidate:

NLDS

Giants over Braves in 4: Buster Posey and Jason Heyward were the two rookies everyone had their eyes on this year. Posey has been more valuable as of late.

Phillies over Reds in 3: The Phillies pitching has been great all season, and it's stepped it up a notch in September. Look for more of the same even against a great Reds lineup.

ALDS 

Twins over Yankees in 5: The Twins have been the best team in baseball since the All-Star break and the Yankee's pitching rotation is less than solid. Even without Morneau Minnesota wreaks havoc.

Rangers over Rays in 5: Cliff Lee will be the Cliff Lee of the '09 postseason and Josh Hamilton will be Josh Hamilton.

NLCS 

Phillies over Giants in 6: As great as the Giants have played in catching the Padres, the Phillies were the hottest team in baseball and possess an absolutely loaded lineup when healthy. They're healthy.

NLCS MVP: Roy Halladay for shutting down the Giants in two of the games.

ALCS 

Twins over Rangers in 6: The Twins consistent if unspectacular pitching staff and solid lineup prove too much for the Rangers, who win two games thanks to Cliff Lee. Twins in 6

ALCS MVP: Joe Mauer shows us why he is the best catcher in the league.

World Series

Phillies over Twins - The Phillies pitching trio of Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt is too much for any team in the league. It's almost unfair. The twins have solid pitching from Liriano but the rest of their rotation gets pushed around by the Philadelphia lineup. 

World Series MVP: Take your pick from Howard or Utley. They will punish Baker and Pavano.

Dan Norton, staff candidate:

ALDS

Rays over Rangers in 5: The Rangers will put up a fight, but with Josh Hamilton not a 100%, they'll get edged out by the Rays. 

Yankees over Twins 4: The Twins are a team that many underestimate. However, in this case I think the Yankees just put a better team on the field. The Twins should pull off a win against a Yankee pitcher not named CC Sabathia, but their own rotation won't be able to handle the Yankees' packed lineup. With Morneau not there to help them, they lose in 4. 

NLDS

Phillies over Reds in 3: I love what the Reds have done with their organization, but they couldn't have pulled a worse opponent. The Reds have some real potential, but let's be honest here: the Phillies will give them a reality check in this series. 

Giants over Braves in 4: Bobby Cox gets one playoff win in his last stand as one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game of baseball.

ALCS

Rays over Yankees in 7: These two division rivals are just about evenly matched. Beyond Sabathia, however, the Yankees rotation is just too unknown. Beyond Price, the Rays could say the same. I think the Rays pitch a little better than the Yankees and win this one in a battle of the bats.

NLCS

Giants over Phillies in 7: The polar opposite of my prediction for the ALCS, this series will be a pitcher's duel like no other. I have to admit a little bias comes into play here, because I'm a Mets fan and I simply can't pick the Phillies for the World Series. On another note, I am also openly in love with the Giants, and I think they will do something magical this year.

World Series

Giants over Rays in 6: This year belongs to the NL. The key to this series will lie in the arms of Lincecum and Cain and in the bat of Buster Posey. The rookie gives this mediocre Giants offense the spark it needs. He is the WS MVP, and the Commissioner's Trophy goes to the Bay Area.

Volleyball: Women's

Despite two sweeps of Big Ten teams, the Penn State women's volleyball team (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) remained in the No. 4 spot in today's AVCA Coaches Poll.

In fact, the entire top four remained intact, with Stanford yet again garnering all 60 first-place votes.

Illinois (12-2, 4-0), which beat Penn State in the Big Ten Opener two weekends ago, jumped up one spot to No. 6. Other Big Ten teams in the Top 25 include Minnesota (13-3, 3-1) at No. 16, Michigan (14-2, 3-1), which was swept by Penn State Saturday night, at No. 18 and Northwestern (13-2, 3-1) at No. 24. Ohio State and Purdue are also receiving votes.

The Nittany Lions next test comes on the road as they travel to face Purdue and Indiana on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

-Jake Kaplan

Sports Editorials

With four weeks completely in the books on the NFL season, let's take a look at where our competitors stand in the Collegian's Penn State NFL Pick 'Em. Through the first four weeks, 62 games have been played in the young NFL season and the leader, assistant sports editor Paul Casella, has correctly predicted 40 of those games. Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund president, sits just one game back in second place with a 39-23 record. Below are the results for week four and the up-to-date overall standings:

Overall Standings:

Paul Casella, asst. sports editor: 40-22

Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund president: 39-23

Athletes: 38-24

Students: 37-25

Steve Hennessey, sports editor: 35-27

Alex Cohen, Paternoville president: 35-27

Christian Ragland, UPUA president: 32-30

Zack Kreiger, SPA executive director: 32-30

Bill Landis, sports' night editor: 29-33

Week Four Results:

Casella: 11-3

Regan: 10-4

Paul Daley (Icers forward): 8-6

Kevin Anderson (student): 10-4

Hennessey: 8-6

Cohen: 8-6

Ragland: 7-7

Kreiger: 8-6

Landis: 4-10 (Note: Landis didn't send in his picks until almost 3 p.m. Sunday, so he voluntarily took the losses for all of the early games. In games he actually picked, he was 4-2)

Volleyball: Women's

The Penn State women's volleyball team brings its 81-match home winning streak back to Rec Hall Saturday night as the No. 4 Nittany Lions take on No. 19 Michigan. It's the Lions second match in as many days -- they swept unranked Michigan State Friday night. Here's a little preview of what to expect:

Saturday at 6:00 p.m. vs. Michigan (14-1)

Player to Watch: Senior Lexi Zimmerman. The returning All-American is one of the most dynamic and experienced setters in the nation. Just ask her counterpart at Penn State, sophomore Kristin Carpenter. "She's a very active setter," Carpenter said of Zimmerman. "And we definitely have to watch out for her."

Strength: Momentum. The Wolverines enter Saturday night's match on a 12-match winning streak and are one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten. And they're coming off a very strong performance in their last match. Michigan defeated a 13-3 Ohio State squad in Columbus, Ohio Friday night, 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 25-16, 25-19)

Weakness: Defense. The Wolverines are fifth in the Big Ten in opponent's hitting percentage (.143) and eighth in the conference in blocks (2.39 per game). Penn State ranks first in the Big Ten in both of those categories. 

Bottom Line: Penn State wins, 3-0. The Lions build off their sweep of the Spartans Friday night and put together a dominating performance in front of an energetic Rec Hall crowd.

Sports Editorials

As we head into week four of the NFL Collegian Beat the Editors Pick 'Em competition, here's a list of the standings up to this point:

Christian Ragland - UPUA president
Paul Daley - Penn State Icers forward (this spot will rotate among Penn State athletes. D.J. Jackson, Talor Battle and Brad Pataky were our athletes for the first three weeks)
Alex Cohen - Paternoville president
Zack Krieger - Executive director of SPA
Kevin Anderson- student (this spot will rotate among Penn State students). Anderson is an accounting major and won this week's spot in the Collegian Pick 'Em contest by e-mailing us the answer to this week's trivia contest.
Jim Regan - Nittany Lion Fund president
Steve Hennessey - Daily Collegian sports editor
Bill Landis - Daily Collegian night editor
Paul Casella - Daily Collegian assistant sports editor

Now here's everybody's picks from this week:

NY Jets @ Buffalo

Christian Ragland, UPUA: Jets

Paul Daley, Penn State Icers: Jets

Alex Cohen, Paternoville: Jets

Zack Krieger, SPA: Jets

Kevin Anderson, student picker: Jets

Jim Regan, Nittany Lion Fund: Jets, 24-20 — Pretty good spread here at 6 points... the Jets should be able to handle the Bills without too much of a problem.

Steve Hennessey, sports editor: Jets, 24-20 — Buffalo found a quarterback who might be able to help it win a couple games, but the Jets won't have a letdown this week.

Bill Landis, night sports editor: Bills

Paul Casella, assistant sports editor: Jets

Cincinnati @ Cleveland

Ragland: Bengals

Daley: Bengals

Cohen: Bengals

Krieger: Bengals

Anderson: Bengals

Regan: Bengals, 27-17 — Neither team has really impressed this year, but the Browns last performance against the Ravens was admirable. Even still, the Bengals are obviously the better team and if it weren't on the road it'd be more of a gimmie. Still gotta go with the experienced QB in Palmer.

Hennessey: Bengals, 20-10 — Yawner..the Browns are not making Cleveland proud. Was it worth that money to bring in Charlie Weis and Eric Mangini?

Landis: Bengals

Casella: Bengals

Denver @ Tennessee

Ragland: Titans

Daley: Titans

Cohen: Titans

Krieger: Titans

Anderson: Titans

Regan: Titans, 24-14 — Titans have a pretty sound squad all the way around... I'm honestly a bit surprised they haven't been better then they have been. Broncos aren't anything special, so on the road I'd expect them to falter.

Hennessey: Broncos, 20-17 — Denver didn't back down to the Colts and I think that showed a lot about the Broncos' fight. I think they could pull off the upset if the defense can stack the line of scrimmage and stop Chris Johnson.

Landis: Broncos

Casella: Broncos

Carolina @ New Orleans

Ragland: Saints

Daley: Saints

Cohen: Saints

Krieger: Saints

Anderson: Saints

Regan: Saints, 30-17 — Easy selection here. Carolina has been threatening teams by keeping games close in the first half, but the Saints win games.

Hennessey: Saints, 27-13 — Last week's New Orleans loss had to be an aberration, right?

Landis: Panthers

Casella: Saints

Detroit @ Green Bay

Ragland: Packers

Daley: Packers

Cohen: Packers

Krieger: Packers

Anderson: Packers

Regan: Packers, 35-13 — The spread on this one is 14 points, so I am going to take the Pack and forget about analysis.

Hennessey: Packers, 28-17 — Lions lead at half, then Aaron Rodgers & Co. wake up. But seriously, can they win the Super Bowl without a formidable running game? I say no.

Landis: Lions

Casella: Packers

Seattle @ St. Louis

Ragland: Seahawks

Daley: Seahawks

Cohen: Seahawks

Krieger: Rams

Anderson: Rams

Regan: Rams, 17-13 — I'm honestly surprised that the Rams aren't favored at home versus a lackluster team, but people still don't think this squad is any good. Beating the Skins was a triumph, I like their chances here at home against the grain.... Hennessey would be proud.

Hennessey: Seahawks, 27-23 — Gotta love these NFL West games that rival the excitement of an Arena Football League game.

Landis: Seahawks

Casella: Rams

San Fran @ Atlanta

Ragland: 49ers

Daley: Falcons

Cohen: Falcons

Krieger: 49ers

Anderson: Falcons

Regan: Falcons, 28-10 — 49ers let me down last week in a big way... I just don't trust them on the road against a formidable opponent. The Falcon's win against the Saints shows us that they are the real deal.

Hennessey: Falcons, 30-13 — The 49ers are the definition of underachieving this year. Falcons are historically great at home coming off a victory over a division rival.

Landis: Falcons

Casella: Falcons

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

Ragland: Ravens

Daley: Steelers

Cohen: Ravens

Krieger: Steelers

Anderson: Ravens

Regan: Ravens, 24-21 — I'm a closet Ravens fan and remain wacco for Flacco. The Steelers are ESPN's #1 Power Ranking, so they are bound to lose like the Saints did last week. Too much winning is going to catch up to Pittsburgh, and I think Flacco is bound to have a game without 23498 turnovers.

Hennessey: Steelers, 27-16 — Not having Ray Rice would really hurt Baltimore's game plan.

Landis: Steelers

Casella: Ravens

Houston @ Oakland

Ragland: Texans

Daley: Texans

Cohen: Texans

Krieger: Texans

Anderson: Texans

Regan: Texans, 30-20 — Houston has its faults, but the Raiders have a whole heck of a lot more. Even at home it will be a struggle, and I think the Texans will eventually pull through for the W.

Hennessey: Texans, 20-14 — Surprisingly close again for the Texans. Some people thought they'd be going far after the week one win over the Colts, but after last week that's highly unlikely.

Landis: Texans

Casella: Texans

Indianapolis @ Jacksonville

Ragland: Colts

Daley: Colts

Cohen: Colts

Krieger: Colts

Anderson: Colts

Regan: Colts, 28-13 — I'm still having flashbacks to the Sunday Night smackdown against the G-Men... the Colts in hurry-up is something special. The Jaguars have home field advantage... but who really cares when they are still underdogs by a whole touchdown.

Hennessey: Colts, 34-17 — Same old story every week...Manning establishes a connection with one of his 300 capable wide receivers and embarrasses another defense.

Landis: Colts

Casella: Colts

Washington @ Philadelphia

Ragland: Eagles

Daley: Eagles

Cohen: Eagles

Krieger: Eagles

Anderson: Eagles

Regan: Eagles, 24-22 — Great matchup here from the best division in the NFL. I'm going to go with the dog killers only because they have the home field. I hope I'm wrong.

Hennessey: Eagles, 27-14 — Bad guys always finish first, which is why Michael Vick wins this one and Donovan McNabb and the Redskins sink back to mediocrity.

Landis: Eagles

Casella: Redskins

Arizona @ San Diego

Ragland: Chargers

Daley: Chargers

Cohen: Chargers

Krieger: Chargers

Anderson: Chargers

Regan: Chargers, 28-14 — I'm still a bit stunned that the Chargers have dropped two this season, both to mediocre teams. They have had flashes of greatness throughout the season, and if they can jam it over the middle to Gates they should have that 9.5-point favorite secured.

Hennessey: Chargers, 17-13 — Chargers should be able to handle the Cardinals at home.

Landis: Chargers

Casella: Chargers

Chicago @ NY Giants

Ragland: Bears

Daley: Giants

Cohen: Bears

Krieger: Giants

Anderson: Giants

Regan: Giants, 19-14 — Giants looked awesome against Tennessee, but lost. We have a solid defense that was containing Chris Johnson all day. Our offense has found its groove going to Manningham and Bradshaw. Only problem is that our players are all on too many roids to resist committing personal fouls and turnovers in the red zone.. The Bears at home will hopefully be a chance to settle in an regain momentum.

Hennessey: Giants, 24-20 — There's no way the Giants embarrass themselves again on national TV. There's too much pride in that organization, no matter how little control Tom Coughlin has over his players.

Landis: Bears

Casella: Giants

New England @ Miami

Ragland: Patriots

Daley: Patriots

Cohen: Patriots

Krieger: Patriots

Anderson: Patriots

Regan: Patriots, 22-18 — Solid Monday Night game... I'm going to take experience over the home team. I just don't trust Henne to win an important game. The Patriots don't look as smart as we would have expected, but I still like their chances here.

Hennessey: Dolphins, 27-23 — It could happen, can't it? Dolphins looked good when the spotlight was on the last time. Patriots struggled with the Bills. I'll probably lose a spot going out on a limb with this pick, but let's do it.

Landis: Dolphins

Casella: Dolphins