Volleyball: Women's

HIGHLIGHTS:

Fighting Spirit:
Down two sets against No. 2 USC on Saturday after an embarrassing and
unexpected defeat against Oregon the night before, it would have been easy for
Penn State to fold and drop the third set. But in a performance reminiscent of
the team's three straight sets after going down two sets to win the NCAA
national title against Texas two seasons ago, they fought back and actually won
the match. It was one of the most dramatic comebacks possible, and the crowd rushed the court after the win. Three sets earlier, just about everyone had discounted the Lions except themselves, and that fighting spirit bodes very well for a relatively young and inexperienced team still trying to find their identity.

Katie Slay:
Slay displayed the talent that she hinted at last season. The sophomore’s
play was one of the only bright spots against Oregon on Friday. She wasn't
perfect on the weekend, and she tended to disappear for stretches. Still, if she
can build some more consistency, Slay appears to have what it takes to be a
top-class performer for Penn State. Her ability to control the space over the
net makes her an asset to the squad and she was one of the best blockers and
killers over the weekend.

Micha Hancock:
The freshman played limited minutes in the loss to Oregon on Friday as a
setter, replacing Carpenter. Rose apparently saw enough to play her at setter
for the entire match against No. 2 USC on Saturday and Hancock rewarded that
confidence. The freshman was one of the biggest reasons why Penn State was able
to fight back against USC, holding serve for what seemed like ages and scoring
seven kills on eight attacks with no hitting errors as well. Hancock's serve is
fast, powerful and a huge boost to the team, scoring aces (six against USC),
forcing free balls, and generally making life difficult for the other team. She
also brings another dimension to the setter position; Hancock can spike for
unexpected kills and even is a decent blocker, considering her 5'11" frame. Her
setting was a little sloppy at times over the weekend, but that may be
something she can work to improve. The Nittany Lions are likely going to need
production from freshmen if they hope to have success, and Hancock is a likely
candidate. After her performance on Saturday, Hancock looks to be the answer
at setter.

Nia Grant:
Grant didn't play on Friday, but started on Saturday and put up a dominant stat
line against USC. Grant hit 11 kills in 17 attacks with no errors, good for an
impressive .647 hitting percentage. She also got up for two solo blocks and
eight block assists, playing a key role in stifling USC’s offense during the
comeback. Grant appears to be a powerful force at the net when given the chance
and seems to bring the kind of high-caliber talent Penn State needs. It will be
interesting to see if she can continue her good play if she's given more
minutes.

LOWLIGHTS:

Back Row:
The back row played poorly on Friday, and while the row saw better play on
Saturday, this team still needs a defensive specialist to step up and play
consistently well. The Nittany Lions lost a lot of points over the weekend
because they didn’t have the enough players flying around in the back,
scraping balls off the floor. This team needs to find defensive specialists to
consistently dig out the difficult spikes, and turn kills against into a
continuation of the rally. It was somewhat of a rotating door at libero during
the two matches, with three different players (freshman Dominique Gonzalez and
sophomore Ali Longo splitting time on Friday and junior Kristin Carpenter
wearing the dark blue jersey all match against USC) playing the position, but
the days of not having a clear starter there may already be over. Rose's
decision to play Carpenter at the free-substituting spot worked very well on
Saturday, as Carpenter improved her defensive presence significantly, but that
solution is dependent on Hancock holding down the fort at setter.

Friday:
Losing to Oregon 3-1 and snapping the 94-match home winning streak was about as
low as the Lions could get. Slay was just about the only Lion who improved her
stock in that performance, and the match did little to settle any position
battles or lineup choices. The screams of the Oregon players as they headed to
the locker room in Rec Hall while the Lions walked away with their heads down
told the whole story. Luckily for the Lions, they were able to rebound against
USC and display enough positives to (almost) erase the memory of this loss.

SPOTLIGHT:

Where is Darcy Dorton?
By most accounts, Darcy Dorton was ready to play after 20 months out with a
torn ACL. But over the weekend, the sophomore got only a few minutes against
Oregon and didn't see the court against USC. Fans of this team in years past
will surely remember the fire Dorton showed against Texas in the NCAA national
championship two seasons ago. This team could use that brand of leadership, not
to mention her on-court production. It's unclear if Dorton is fully recovered
or not, and her status will surely be something to watch in the coming weeks.