Volleyball: Women's

The Penn State women's volleyball team heads to Iowa City, Iowa to face the
Hawkeyes Saturday Night.

We'll take a look at the facts to see Penn State's overall record against Iowa.
Then, we'll look at which team leads each statistical category. We'll also look
at the player from among the teams that leads each category, as well as Penn
State's leader.

Historical Record:
Penn State vs. Iowa: 40-0 Penn State. Iowa has only avoided a sweep
against Penn State in six of those matches.

Ranking:
Penn State is ranked No. 5 and Iowa is not ranked. Penn State should expect to
defeat Iowa and given the history between the teams, sweep the Hawkeyes.

Records:
Penn State: 7-4 (0-1 Big Ten)
Iowa: 10-3. The Hawkeyes take on Ohio State tonight in their Big Ten opener.

Winning Percentage:
Iowa has the better hitting percentage, with .769, but Penn State's lower .636
percentage is partially explained by the fact that the Nittany Lions have faced
stronger opponents thus far. The Lions have taken on four top-10 teams to the
Hawkeyes' none. Despite the disparity, Penn State should expect to win handily.

Kills/Set:
Penn State leads this category, with 12.86 kills per set. Iowa comes in at
12.44. Sophomore Deja McClendon has the most kills on either team with 153.
Iowa's leading killer is senior Megan Eskew, who has 135 kills and 2.70 per
set. However, Hawkeyes freshman Alex Lovell has 2.77 kills per set and just
five less kills than Eskew.

Overall leader: Deja McClendon, Penn State — 3.64
Penn State leader: Deja McClendon — 3.64

Hitting Percentage:
Penn State is hitting .270 thus far this season, significantly better than
Iowa's .194. Penn State has a number of strong hitters, including McClendon and
sophomores Ariel Scott and Katie Slay. Slay leads Penn State in hitting
percentage among players with at least three attacks per set, with a .413 rate.
Slay is also fourth in the Big Ten in this category. Iowa's most efficient
hitter with that same restriction is senior Mallory Husz, who is hitting at a
.266 clip.

Overall leader (At least three attacks per set): Katie Slay, Penn State — .413
Penn State's leader (At least three attacks per set): Katie Slay — .413

Assists/Set:
Penn State leads this category with 11.79 assists per set, which beats out
Iowa's 11.50. Freshman Micha Hancock is the main setter for Penn State, doling
out 9.44 assists per set, while Iowa's Nikki Dailey has 10.00 per set. It's
difficult to see what these statistics truly mean, as while Penn State leads
Iowa, Iowa's setter has the most assists overall. However, Hancock is still
working on her chemistry with her hitters, and she'll try to improve her
assists per set number as the season continues.

Overall leader: Nikki Dailey, Iowa — 10.00
Penn State leader: Micha Hancock — 9.44

Digs/Set:
Iowa leads in digs per set with 15.14, while Penn State falls behind with a
modest 12.24. Sophomore Ali Longo recently took over the libero position from
junior Kristin Carpenter, so Penn State is obviously experiencing some turmoil
in the back line. The Lions will need to make sure their defense improves if
they hope to reach their top yet again.

Overall leader: Bethany Yeager, Iowa — 4.44
Penn State leader: Kristin Carpenter — 2.77

Blocks/Set:
Penn State's strength and athleticism ensures that the Lions lead this category
with 2.55 blocks per set. Iowa has 2.22 blocks per set. Katie Slay is a force
in the middle for Penn State, and Mallory Husz takes up a similar role for
Iowa. Each of those players 1.26 blocks per set, tying them for sixth in the
Big Ten.

Overall leader: Katie Slay, Penn State; and Mallory Husz, Iowa — 1.26
Penn State leader: Katie Slay — 1.26

Service Aces/Set:
Penn State leads this category, largely on the strength of Micha Hancock's
powerful serve. Penn State has 1.71 aces per set, while Iowa has 1.40. Hancock
has .76 aces per set, for about 44 percent of her team's aces. Iowa doesn't
have any one player with the majority of the team's aces.

Overall leader: Micha Hancock, Penn State — .76
Penn State leader: Micha Hancock — .76