The No. 8 Penn State women's volleyball team defeated No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 17-25, 25-17).
The Nittany Lions were clicking on all cylinders after a bittersweet victory over Iowa the night before when they got away with some sloppy play.
The staple early on was their serving — or rather, freshman setter Micha Hancock's serving. She posted five of her six service aces in the first set, and four of those came on consecutive rallies. Junior defender Kristin Carpenter notched two aces before the end of the night, throwing the Cornhuskers off by implementing a float serve and a line drive serve. Sophomore libero Ali Longo also had an ace.
Sophomore outside hitter Deja McClendon anchored the offense with a match-high 18 kills. She hit especially strong down the stretch, making some of her strongest kills look easy with her fluid attack.
Both the Lions' serving and attack forced wreaked havoc in Nebraska's back row. The Cornhuskers struggled to keep balls in bounds for much of the match, and when they did, it was often a bad pass. The result was several weak attacks and attacks off the net.
With 14 total blocks, the Lions front line defense had a field day. Sophomore middle hitter Katie Slay had a match-high five total blocks.
The Lions did stumble in the third set, but unlike in previous matches this season, they stole back the momentum and won with a strong fourth set.
Check Monday's Collegian for full coverage of the weekend.
The No. 1 Icers moved to 7-0 with a road win over No. 10 Rhode Island.
Penn State completed the sweep of Rhode Island with a 4-2 over the Rams, Saturday night. The scoring on the night was well distributed with 12 players recording a single point.
Bryce Johnson, Michael Longo, Jake Friedman, and Taylor Holstrom had goals while Matt Madrazo picked up the win in the net.
The only undefeated team left in ACHA hockey is Penn State, but the Rams tested the Icers on Saturday night. The Icers won by two goals, tying their smallest margin of victory this season, last weekend they defeated rival Ohio 5-3.
The win gave Penn State some revenge after last season’s finish. Rhode Island knocked the Icers out of the opening round of last year’s national tournament.
Penn State will face NCAA Division III opponent, SUNY- Fredonia , 5 p.m. next Saturday at the Greenburg Ice Pavilion.
Here are our pre-match predictions for No. 8 Penn State's showdown with No. 1 Nebraska.
Match score:
Matt Howland: 3-2 Penn State
Stephen Pianovich: 3-2 Nebraska
Dan Norton: 3-2 Penn State
Over/under: Penn State total hitting errors: 20.5:
Howland: over
Pianovich: over
Norton: under
More attacks: Deja McClendon or Ariel Scott:
Howland: Scott
Pianovich: Scott
Norton: McClendon
Over/under: Micha Hancock service aces: 3.5:
Howland: under
Pianovich: over
Norton: over
Bold prediction:
Howland: Scott and McClendon hit below .250, but the Lions still win.
Pianovich: Katie Slay hits over .600.
Norton: Darcy Dorton has five kills.
The Associated Press women’s basketball preseason poll was released today, and the Lady Lions should be happy with the results.
The Lady Lions are ranked 12th, the highest they have been ranked in the AP poll since the end of the 2003-04 season, when they were placed fifth. It’s also the first time that they’re ranked in the preseason poll since the 2003 campaign.
To make the expectations of this year’s team even greater, they are placed number one in both the coaches’ and the media’s preseason Big Ten polls.
The Lady Lions are returning four of their five starters from last year’s team that made it to the second round in the NCAA Tournament last season before losing to DePaul, 75-73. Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year Alex Bentley, a candidate for the Wooden Award, looks to lead the team after last season’s crushing exit from the tournament.
Baylor tops the preseason poll, receiving 33 of 40 first place votes. Last year’s champion, Texas A&M, ranks sixth in the poll, while the team they beat in the championship game, Notre Dame, is second.
Penn State ranks the highest in the Big Ten. However, their breathing room in that regard is uneasy, as Purdue ranks 17th. Ohio State and Michigan State are both receiving votes, ranking 26th and 27th, respectively. The final Big Ten team in the poll is Iowa, who places 31st.
Now that the rankings are out, it appears that the end of Penn State’s schedule will be critical for Big Ten Tournament seeding. Their final three games of the regular season are at Purdue, versus Ohio State and versus Minnesota. If the rankings aren’t altered too much by that time, the Purdue and Ohio State clashes will be huge, especially because the Lady Lions only play the Boilermakers once all year.
The Lady Lions’ out-of-conference schedule should prove daunting. They have a tough stretch at the start of the season - after opening the season with the Lady Lion Classic, the team will play five difficult games in a row at Delaware, at South Carolina, versus Iowa State, versus No. 20 North Carolina, and at Texas Tech. All of those teams are either receiving votes or ranked except South Carolina.
The complete Top 25 is as follows (with first place votes in parentheses):
1. Baylor (33)
2. Notre Dame (6)
3. Tennessee
4. Connecticut
5. Stanford
6. Texas A&M (1)
7. Miami (FL)
8. Duke
9. Louisville
10. Georgetown
11. Maryland
12. Penn State
13. Georgia
14. Florida State
15. Oklahoma
16. Rutgers
17. Purdue
18. Kentucky
19. DePaul
20. North Carolina
21. LSU
22. UCLA
23. USC
24. Texas
25. St. John’s
The freshman goaltender saved 19 of Rhode Island’s 21 shots, and Penn State improved its record to 6-0 after a 6-2 victory.
Junior forward Eric Steinour began the scoring for the Icers with assists from senior Kurt Collins and junior George Saad. But about five minutes later, the Rams tied it up at one.
The second period was all Penn State as freshman Tommy Olczyk notched two goals and senior Chris Cerutti, playing in his first game since injuring his left knee on Aug. 23., scored as well.
Going into the third the Icers led, 4-1. Junior Dominic Morrone tallied a short-handed goal at 8:26 from senior Dan Loucks and sophomore Nate Jensen. Collins, coming off a hat trick performance against the Ohio Bobcats on Oct. 22, added the Icers’ sixth goal.
The Icers take on Rhode Island again Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Brad Boss Ice Arena.
Despite an inconsistent performance, the Penn State women's volleyball team defeated Iowa, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20).
Iowa came out strong in the first two sets, culminating in a second set win in which the Hawkeyes hit .415, significantly outhitting Penn State's .220 in the set.
Penn State came out much stronger in the third set after the intermission. After a slow start, the Nittany Lions rebounded to win two straight sets and close out the match.
Sophomore Ariel Scott led the Lions in kills and attacks, with 20 and 50 respectively, and hit .280 in the match.
Sophomore Maddie Martin also had a solid day, in all areas of the court. The versatile outside hitter hit .269 with 10 kills, also tallying 14 digs and two service aces.
Sophomore Ali Longo led the Nittany Lions with 18 digs.
The Lions take on No. 1 Nebraska at 8 tomorrow night in Rec Hall in their quest to deal the Cornhuskers their first conference loss.
No. 8 Penn State is set to take on Iowa in Rec Hall, here are our pre-match predictions.
Match score:
Matt Howland: 3-0 PSU
Stephen Pianovich: 3-0 PSU
Dan Norton: 3-0 PSU
Katie Slay solo blocks: over/under 1.5:
Howland: over
Pianovich: over
Norton: over
Better hitting percentage: Ariel Scott or Deja McClendon:
Howland: Scott
Pianovich: McClendon
Norton: McClendon
Halloween costume we're hoping to see in the crowd:
Howland: Russ Rose
Pianovich: white sheet ghost, can't beat the classics
Norton: taco
Bold predictions:
Howland: Penn State holds Iowa to 16 points or fewer in each set.
Pianovich: Maddie Martin has at least seven digs and seven kills.
Norton: Marika Racibarskas gets an assist.
Each week, we'll take a look at who/what is trending for the Penn State women's volleyball team.
Deja McClendon:Up- The sophomore outside hitter appeared to be in a bit of a slump a few weeks ago, but McClendon hit .333 against Michigan on Saturday. It was the fourth straight game in which McClendon hit above .300, which is certainly good news for the Nittany Lions.
Aiyana Whitney:Down- The freshman has been struggling a bit lately. After having no kills and a -.200 hitting percentage against Ohio State last Wednesday, Whitney did not play at all on Saturday. In her defense, coach Russ Rose noted that Whitney has been battling an illness lately.
Nia Grant:Up- The freshman middle hitter has been strong offensively lately for Penn State. After having nine kills against the Buckeyes, Grant recorded eight kills on 11 swings against the Wolverines. She hit .818 on Saturday and .455 on Saturday.
Tuesday Talk with Aiyana WhitneyThe Daily Collegian asks freshman outside hitter AIyana Whitney five random questions in this special Halloween edition of Tuesday Talk.Dan Norton/Collegian
Here's a look at the week that was in Big Ten women's volleyball.
Results:
Wednesday -
Illinois 3 Northwestern 0
Purdue 3 Indiana 2
Nebraska 3 Iowa 0
Penn State 3 Ohio State 0
Michigan State 3 Michigan 1
Minnesota 3 Wisconsin 2
Saturday -
Nebraska 3 Illinois 1
Wisconsin 3 Indiana 1
Northwestern 3 Iowa 0
Penn State 3 Michigan 0
Ohio State 3 Michigan State 1
Purdue 3 Minnesota 1
Team of the week:
Nebraska: It's almost impossible to not pick the Cornhuskers after what they did on Saturday night. Nebraska gave Illinois its first loss of the year and stole the Illini's No. 1 ranking. Gina Mancuso had a big night against Nebraksa with 15 kills and 14 digs and was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. The Huskers' No. 1 ranking will be tested this weekend as they travel to face Ohio State on Friday and then have a big showdown with Penn State on Saturday night.
Current Standings (Team — Big Ten record, overall record):
Fresh off of two home wins over ranked opponents, Penn State moved up a spot to No. 8 in this week's AVCA coaches poll.Nebraska is the nation's new No. 1 team after handing No. 4 Illinois its first loss of the year. It just so happens that the Cornhuskers will be in Rec Hall on Saturday night to face Russ Rose's squad, it should be a very interesting match.
Here's this week's entire poll with team records and first-place votes in parentheses:
1. Nebraska (38) 17-1
2. California (8) 21-2
3. Illinois (2) 20-1
4. Southern California (12) 17-3
5. Stanford 16-3
6. UCLA 18-3
7. Hawai'i 21-1
8. Penn State 15-5
9. Texas 14-4
10. Washington 16-4
11. Purdue 18-3
12. Northern Iowa 22-1
13. Florida 17-3
14. Iowa State 16-3
15. Minnesota 12-7
16. Oregon 14-6
17. San Diego 22-1
18. Pepperdine 14-5
19. Florida State 17-4
20. Tennessee 18-3
21. Oklahoma 19-5
22. Michigan 15-7
23. Ohio State 15-8
24. Kentucky 19-4
25. Colorado State 15-4
The Icers defeated Ohio University 5-3 Saturday afternoon in a largely defensive game.
The Bobcats arrived at the Ice Pavilion a different team from the Ohio team the Icers faced last night.
Ohio goalie Fedor Dushkin, who let in seven out of 53 shots on goal during Friday’s game, proved to be a strong presence between the pipes Saturday, holding the Icers to five goals out of 46 shots on goal.
Icers’ goalie P.J. Musico held off the Bobcats until Brett Agnew put one into the net during an Ohio power play. Penn State held the score at 1-0 through the end of the second period.
Forward Kurt Collins turned the game in Penn State’s favor after scoring in the first three minutes of the third period while the Icers were shorthanded. Five minutes later Collins put another puck past Dushkin at the end of another Ohio penalty.
Collins recorded his first hat trick with another shorthanded goal at 18:03 after the Bobcats pulled Dushkin to make it 6-on-4.
The Icers travel to Rhode Island for a two-game series on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29.
The No. 9 Penn State women's volleyball team swept No. 21 Michigan in Rec Hall Saturday night, extending its winning streak to four matches- including wins over three ranked teams.
The Nittany Lions limited their hitting errors in a strong offensive performance. The team hit .330 with only 11 errors.
The Lions' attack was an all-around effort, as four players had at least eight kills with no player having more than 11. Of those players, sophomore Ariel Scott led the team with 11 kills on 27 attacks with only two errors.
However, Penn State's serve wasn't quite as consistent as its attack. The Lions had 10 service errors, but did manage to score six service aces.
Freshman Dominique Gonzalez's serve emerged as a disruptive threat during the match as well. Gonzalez didn't have any aces - or errors - but forced at least four free balls, including three in a row at one point in the second set. Two of those free balls went for overpass kills for the Lions.
Defensively, sophomore libero Ali Longo played a solid match, tallying 12 digs.
Read Monday's Daily Collegian for more on the sweep.
Dan Norton can not be with us tonight for the Penn State vs. Michigan match, but here are Matt Howland's and Stephen Pianovich's pre-match predictions.
Match score:
Howland: 3-0 PSU
Pianovich: 3-0 PSU
More assists Penn State's Micha Hancock or Michigan's Lexi Dannemiller:
Howland: Dannemiller
Pianovich: Hancock
Penn State players that have at least 12 kills- over/under: 1.5:
Howland: under
Pianovich: over
Ali Longo digs- over/under: 12.5:
Howland: over
Pianovich: under
Bold prediction:
Howland: Nia Grant has more attacks than Katie Slay.
Pianovich: Ariel Scott has exactly 16 kills.
The No. 1 Icers (4-0-0) came out strong against No. 3 Ohio University Friday night, continuing their undefeated season with a 7-1 rout of the Bobcats.
Goalie Matt Madrazo was close to recording his second shut out of the season until the final two minutes of game play when Ohio’s Michael Schultz knocked a shot in from right in front of the crease.
With previous head coach Scott Balboni in attendance, the heated rivalry game was highlighted by hard hits and numerous roughing penalties from both sides — Ohio recorded 24 minutes while Penn State was charged with 6 minutes.
The Icers went two for 12 in power plays.
The puck dropped at 7:15 p.m. and straight from the face off, forward Eric Steinour whipped a puck into the corner of the net, beating Ohio goalie Fedor Dushkin.
The goal was scored within the first 20 seconds of the game, and was assisted by fellow starting line mate George Saad.
Steinour also had an unassisted goal in the third period after he beat the Ohio defender on a one-on-one breakaway.
Though the Icers had trouble clearing the puck at times, each period the team found ways to cross into Ohio territory. The Icers ended the game with 60 shots on goal, while holding the Bobcats to 24 shots on goal.
The Icers play game two against Ohio on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Entire Penn State attack: Can't give the credit to any one player here. Everybody came out and played well. Deja McClendon hurt her ankle in the first set, but she came out and dominated the next two sets. In the meantime, Maddie Martin helped to pick up the slack, hitting .400 on seven kills. In the middle, Katie Slay hit .438 on nine kills, but Nia Grant stepped up to another level entirely. She hit 9-for-11 (.818) without an error. With attacks coming from both sides of the net, it left freshman setter Micha Hancock open for five second-touch kills. Ohio State could do next to nothing to stop the Nittany Lions' surge. Their passing was abysmal, and that affected their entire match.
Lowlight
Was it a fluke?: Ohio State's No. 23 ranking may have been a little generous by the AVCA. They really have no significant wins, other than a sweep against Minnesota (whom Penn State also swept). Some of the more winnable matches they have lost include Hawaii (0-3), Long Beach State (1-3), Wisconsin (1-3) and Purdue (1-3). Still, the Lions had their best match of the season against the Buckeyes, and that's something they shouldn't overlook. A match like this should create confidence, not doubt.
Spotlight
Will Deja McClendon be healthy for Michigan?: Sure, she returned at the start of the second set. But she was up and standing with rallies remaining the in the first set, and coach Russ Rose didn't put her in the match. They taped up her ankle and it didn't seem to bother her as went on to hit .385 with seven kills, but tweaked ankles tend to swell with time. Only she and Rose know how she felt the day after the match or how she will feel on Saturday before Michigan. If she is out or limited in any way, that is a huge blow to the Lions' offense. Martin could get more swings, which may not be a problem as she had some really strong swings Wednesday. Other possibilities on the outside include Aiyana Whitney, Darcy Dorton, Katie Kabbes or even Hancock. And from what we've seen lately, that order is probably how the depth chart for outside hitter looks right now, more or less. Rose has made it clear that if someone is not playing well, he will take them out. But ultimately, McClendon will likely start and play Saturday. She didn't look severely hampered in any way Wednesday, and she's not one to let a little pain keep her out. It would have to be a substantial injury to make her sit.
1. Penn State's balanced attack worked against Ohio State. With six players
having double-digit attacks, Buckeye blockers were unsure of where to go on
Wednesday night and this allowed Penn State to get a lot of one-on-one attacks
which resulted in a .404 hitting percentage. We're used to seeing Ariel Scott
and Deja McClendon rack up a ton of attacks on the outside, but freshman Micha
Hancock did a good job of keeping the middle hitters involved on offense
against Ohio State and Katie Slay and Nia Grant each ended the match with nine
kills.
2. The Lions need Ariel Scott to continue to block well. Penn State can always
rely on the six-foot-six Slay for some blocks, but last night Scott got in on
the action as well and assisted on five blocks. If the six-foot-four Scott can
continue to do this, the Lions can have a very solid defense at the net.
3. For the Nittany Lions, every Big Ten match for the rest of the season is
absolutely essential. The Lions need to keep pace with No. 1 Illinois and
one-loss No. 4 Nebraska, who also have no Big Ten losses. Penn State has
already lost to both teams, so the Lions are already in a hole they'll need to
climb out of if they want to win the Big Ten again. The Lions can't afford to
lose any winnable matches against teams like Michigan, who they play at home on
Saturday, and still keep peace with the best of the Big Ten.
The Penn State men’s Llacrosse team played in this year’s Parkinson’s Lacrosse Tournament last Saturday in Alexandria, VA. The event now in its second year, was organized by a former Princeton Lacrosse player, Christian Cook and his sister Lauren after their mother Diane was diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s. All proceeds from the event will benefit the ProjectSparks foundation’s search for a cure. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects movement. In America alone there are nearly 1.5 million people currently living with some form of this debilitating disease, most notably actor Michael J. Fox and Hall of Fame boxer Muhammad Ali.
This year’s lacrosse tournament was Penn State’s first time competing in the event that featured 12 Division I NCAA men and women’s teams from across the country. The Penn State men’s team kicked off the event early Saturday morning taking on Army. The Black Knights played the Nittany Lions to an 11-11 tie. They played two games in the event, taking on John Hopkins University later in the afternoon and pulling off a reported one-goal win. Both of those teams are consistent playoff contenders. It was also a good opportunity for Penn State’s Lacrosse coach Jeff Tambroni to measure up his team’s physical condition and chemistry early. This was the last opportunity for the team to play together prior to gearing up for the start of next season in the spring. The team itself will be taking on 13 newcomers this year, 11 freshmen and 2 transfers and have 24 letterman returning from last year’s 7-7 season, in which they qualified for the playoffs.
The Offense - After suffering three straight 1-0 losses, the Nittany Lions turned the tables on UMBC, earning a much needed 1-0 win of their own. With the return of Julian Cardona to the line-up, Penn State controlled the game on both sides of the ball. While offense only tallied one goal, they still out shot UMBC 16-3, and nine of those shots were on goal.
A Dominant Victory - While 1-0 may not seem like a dominant win, the Lions were never threatened and held control of the ball for the majority of the game. UMBC did not record any shots on goal, and the Lions applied plenty of pressure on the offensive end to keep UMBC busy on defense.
The Not-So-Good:
Conversion - The offense played great in a total team effort, but they still converted only one goal with all of their opportunies. The good news is that it didn’t cost them the game, and if the team continues to put those type of shot numbers up, they will find the back of the net more often.
A Look Ahead:
On Sunday, Penn State will travel to Ohio State for their final Big Ten road game, and the Lions will be searching for their first conference victory. If the Lions can win their final two Big Ten games (they will host Wisconsin in the season finale), they can build some serious momentum leading into the conference tournament.
The Lions haven’t lost a game by more than one goal all season, and they have had a chance to win every game this season. With some late season confidence, this team could position itself to be a Big Ten sleeper.
No. 9 Penn State is set to take on No. 23 Ohio State at Rec Hall in about half an hour. Here are Dan Norton's and Stephen Pianovich's pre-match predictions. For live updates follow us on twitter (@TDC_WVolleyball).
Match Score:
Norton: 3-2 Penn State
Pianovich: 3-1 Penn State
Over/under Deja McClendon kills: 13.5:
Norton: over
Pianovich: over
More aces: PSU's Micha Hancock or OSU's Emily Danks:
Norton: Hancock
Pianovich: Danks
Over/under Nia Grant blocks: 4.5:
Norton: under
Pianovich: over
Bold predictions:
Norton: Megan Shifflett sees time on the court.
Pianovich: Dominique Gonzalez comes up with at least 12 digs.
Redshirt sophomore guard Jermaine Marshall has been suspended indefinitely from the Penn State men's basketball team for a violation of team rules.
Marshall played in 28 games last season and averaged nine minutes and 2.5 points per game. It is uncertain when Marshall will return to the team and coach Patrick Chambers will not comment on Marshall's status until the issue has been resolved.
Tuesday Talk with Darcy DortonThis week, the Daily Collegian asks five random questions to redshirt sophomore outside hitter Darcy Dorton.Derek Keightly/Collegian
Penn State picked up two wins over the weekend, but the Nittany Lions remain at No. 9 in this weeks' AVCA coaches poll. Illinois — the country's only undefeated team — is still topping the poll and received 58 of the 60 first-place votes. The Lion's next two opponents are currently ranked with Ohio State coming in at No. 23 and Michigan sitting at No. 21.
Here's the complete list of rankings with team records and first place votes in parentheses:
1. Illinois (58) 19-0
2. California
3. Southern California (2) 15-3
4. Nebraska 15-1
5. Stanford 14-3
6. UCLA 16-3
7. Washington 15-3
8. Hawai'i 17-1
9. Penn State 13-5
10. Texas 12-4
11. Northern Iowa 19-1
12. Purdue 16-3
13. Florida 15-3
14. Minnesota 11-6
15. Iowa State 15-3
16. San Diego 20-1
17. Pepperdine 13-5
18. Oregon 12-6
19. Florida State 15-4
20. Tennessee 16-3
21. Michigan 15-5
22. Oklahoma 18-5
23. Ohio State 14-7
24. Kentucky 17-4
25. Miami (FL) 15-3
Every Monday we’ll take a look at what happened in the past week in the Big Ten. Here’s this week’s conference roundup.
Results:
Wednesday-
Illinois 3 Michigan 1
Friday-
Michigan State 3 Northwestern 1
Minnesota 3 Iowa 0
Penn State 3 Purdue 1
Nebraska 3 Wisconsin 0
Ohio State 3 Indiana 1
Saturday-
Michigan 3 Northwestern 2
Nebraska 3 Minnesota 2
Illinois 3 Michigan State 2
Purdue 3 Ohio State 1
Penn State 3 Indiana 0
Sunday-
Wisconsin 3 Iowa 0
Team of the week:
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers won two matches and even moved up a spot in this week's AVCA coaches poll to No. 4. After sweeping Wisconsin on Friday night, Nebraska had its hands full on the road at No. 14 Minnesota on Saturday. The Huskers dug themselves out of an 0-2 hole in front of over 9,000 fans in Williams Arena and came back to down the Gophers in five sets. After a home match against Iowa on Wednesday, Nebraska will be hosting the biggest match of the Big Ten season so far as No. 1 Illinois visits the NU Coliseum this Saturday night.
Current Standings (Team — Big Ten record, overall record):
The struggles for the Nittany Lion golfers continued on Sunday in Illinois, as they are dead last through almost two rounds of play in the seventeen-team field at the Windon Memorial tournament.
The tournament is currently suspended in the second round due to darkness, but the golfers might have welcomed the delay. The aggregate team score sits at a lofty 31-over-par, a far cry from the -13 that tournament leader No. 8 Arkansas has posted.
Senior Tommy McDonagh is the only Nittany Lion helping the team’s attempts to win. He has shot an even par through his first (almost) two rounds of play. Meanwhile, sophomore Shane Stewart (+9), freshman Xander McDonald-Smith (+10), junior Jay Woodward (+13), and senior Nick Archambault (+15) have not came through.
During the first round, rain suspended the tournament for over an hour. Because of the conditions, the golfers will pick up where they left off on Monday and then play the third and final round.
The Windon Memorial, hosted by Northwestern, presents Penn State’s best opportunity of the first half of their season to make a jump in the rankings. Not only does the Evanston Golf Club course on which the tournament is being played have a level of relative easiness, but many highly ranked teams like Arkansas and No. 22 UCLA are in the event.
Unfortunately, the golfers could not capitalize early and find themselves in a hole that is impossible to dig out of to reach that elusive first victory.
Check Tuesday's Daily Collegian for a full recap of the tournament with player reaction.
No. 9 Penn State won two matches over the weekend, the Lions picked up a 3-1 win over Purdue on Friday, followed by a 3-0 victory over Indiana on Saturday night. Let's take a look at the highlights, lowlights and what is in the spotlight after the weekend.
Highlights:
Deja McClendon: Entering the weekend, McClendon was in a slump offensively, but the sophomore showed signs of breaking out of it against Purdue and Indiana. McClendon led the team in kills in both matches and hit over .350 in each.
Nia Grant (vs. Purdue): On Friday, Grant registered 10 kills, hit .389 assisted on two blocks and had four digs. The freshman also picked up her first ever service ace against the Boliermakers.
Lowlights:
Nia Grant (vs. Indiana): Though she did assist on five blocks, Grant was essentially a non-factor on offense on Saturday against the Hoosiers. With just one kill on six swings, combined with three errors, Grant tied for her career-low in hitting percentage with a -.333 clip.
Service errors: Serving was an issue all weekend for Penn State, after having 13 service errors against Purdue, the Lions accounted for seven against Indiana. Penn State did have 14 aces in the two matches, but it will tough for this team to win close games if they keep giving away a lot of points on the serve.
Spotlight:
Dominique Gonzalez: The freshman defensive specialist has been getting a lot of playing time lately and coming up with some digs in the back row. After having seven digs and starting against Purdue, Gonzalez didn't start against Indiana, but dug six balls. The question is now, how much playing time will Gonzalez get in the coming matches?
Penn State defeated Illinois 5-2 Saturday night in Champaign, Ill. to take the two-game series and improve its record to a perfect 3-0. The Icers have outscored opponents 28-3 in three games played.
After an 11-0 victory Friday night against the Fighting Illini, the Icers continued their dominance and recorded 39 shots on net.
Junior forward Dominic Morrone tallied a power play game at 17:14 to get the scoring started early for the Icers. Penn State extended its led to 3-0 after sophomore Taylor Holstrom and the other by Justin Kirchhevel found the back of the net.
After two periods of play, the Icers had a 5-1 advantage thanks to a goal by freshman forward Forrest Dell at 11:04 and sophomore forward Bryce Johnson about two minutes later.
Freshman goalie P.J. Musico faced 20 shots throughout three periods. Musico got the start after sophomore goalie Matt Madrazo’s shutout Friday night.
The Icers will be back in State College to take on Ohio University on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Ice pavilion.
The No. 4 Penn State Icers improved to 2-0 with an 11-0 win over No.16 Illinois (3-3), Friday night in Champaign.
In Penn State’s last season at the club level, before the shift to varsity next season, the team has looked unstoppable. After Friday’s game Penn State has now outscored opponents 23-1.
Penn State’s scoring was led by freshman Tommy Olczyk, who recorded the first hat trick of his Penn State career. Olczyk now has four goals on the season to go along with four assists.
Olczyk’s linemates, transfers Taylor Holstrom and Justin Kirchhevel continue to impress in their first season at Penn State. Holstrom and Kirchhevel both scored two goals on the night, bringing the total for the line to nine goals in two games.
Sophomore goalie Matt Madrazo started in net for the Icers and played all 60 minutes. Last week Madrazo split the game with freshman PJ Musico. Madrazo recorded a shutout on Friday night, finishing with 19 saves, but Musico is the planned starter for Saturday.
The win is the second in as many weeks for Penn State, who should move up in this week’s ACHA rankings, with two of the three teams ahead of Penn State losing.
At 8:30 tomorrow night, the Icers will play Illinois in the second game of the series.
The No. 9 Penn State women's volleyball team defeated No. 11 Purdue Friday, 3-1 (32-30, 16-25, 25-19, 25-19).
In front of a rowdy crown in West Lafayette, Ind., the Nittany Lions controlled the final two games to win their match with the Boilermakers.
The first game was the Lions' longest of the season. The two teams forced five tie-breaking points before the Lions finally scored three consecutive points to take the set.
In the second game, Penn State was unable to communicate effectively at all. On multiple occasions, the Lions nearly lost a point because the ball almost fell between two players.
The Lions won the last two sets behind strong efforts from Deja McClendon and Nia Grant. McClendon bounced back from a rough match with Illinois last weekend, notching 14 kills and hitting .367. Grant built upon her breakout match last Saturday, hitting .389 on 10 kills. She played close to the same amount of time as Katie Slay.
The two hitters' hard swings forced 10 receiving errors from the Boilermakers.
Ali Longo laid out for several tough digs in the back row, but occasionally struggled on routine receptions, overpassing to the Boilermakers.
The Lions committed 13 service errors in the match, tied for their most of the season.
Check Monday's Collegian for full coverage of this match and the Lions' match at Indiana tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
1. Freshman Dominique Gonzalez has demonstrated her defensive quality over the
past few matches. Gonzalez, who coach Russ Rose calls the team's best passer,
has moved around energetically in the back row. The defensive specialist
hustled and dived for balls, and tallied 8 digs against Northwestern and a
career-high 14 against No. 1 Illinois. She likely has earned, and deserves,
more playing time with her recent performances.
2. Grant has also shown talent in the back row, even despite her middle hitter
position. Her defensive skills are an asset to the team, as Rose doesn't have
to sub her out every time she rotates back. However, her front row skills are
truly what is making her stand out. Grant has hit very well in her last two
matches, with 15 kills and only two errors. She also has blocked well. Grant
provides an important fourth offensive option for the Lions behind sophomores
Ariel Scott, Deja McClendon and Katie Slay.
3. Against Illinois, the Lions struggled to score points when Scott and
McClendon were in the back row or subbed out. While Slay is an efficient
threat, she doesn't get enough sets or attacks to carry the team offensively on
her own. Freshman Aiyana Whitney was asked to do so in Scott and McClendon's
absence, but it became clear that even Scott attacking from the back row was a
better option than the struggling Whitney who hasn't found her groove. If the
Lions can't develop a third go-to threat capable of scoring points as the main
option on the floor, the team will be prone to long runs by the other team
while Scott and McClendon are out, like Illinois was able to accomplish.
4. Micha Hancock's serve was brutally effective against Illinois. She had seven
aces and no errors, and countless more serves disrupted the Illini's offense.
The freshman said she was just feeling it and hadn't made any changes to her
serve, but if she can continue that serving form, she'll be a major weapon for
the Lions.
5. Every team Penn State has lost to is ranked in the nation's top 16. The
Lions of this season may not be up to par with Rose's previous teams yet, but
don't count them out. They haven't lost to any bad teams yet, and there's no
reason to expect them to any time soon. If they can develop more chemistry,
especially with Hancock's setting, and more young players can step up like
Grant and Gonzalez have done, this team could be a major postseason player.
Every Wednesday we'll take a look at whose stock on the Penn State women's volleyball team is rising, falling or flat. Here goes:
Digging/Passing- Rising: Ali Longo, Micha Hancock and Dominque Gonzalez, among others, kept Penn State alive in their match with Illinois. While 99 digs doesn’t say much about their efficiency, that is still too crazy an amount of digs in one match too ignore. And they were all evenly distributed as follows: Longo (24), Hancock (19), Gonzalez (14), McClendon (11), Fuller (9), Scott (9), Grant (5), Carpenter (4), Whitney (2), Kabbes (1), Slay (1). To have that many players contributing in the second line of defense is certainly an advantage for the Lions against any team, especially No. 1 Illinois.
Nia Grant- Rising: Grant was the only Penn State player to hit greater than .200 against the Fighting Illini, regardless of attacks. She hit an even .500 on 16 attacks. Those are really solid numbers for the freshman middle hitter backing up Katie Slay. She also tallied 2.5 blocks. Her presence in the middle is useful to the team in many ways. Rose usually puts her in to add some height up front with Slay or to cycle into the front row when Slay cycles into the back.
Micha Hancock- Rising: With seven aces in one match, it’s hard to to not trend up. Hancock is one the Big Ten’s most offensive setters, leading the NCAA with 0.82 aces per set. She is always willing to attack, too, whether or not that’s to Russ Rose’s liking. It’s her sets she needs to work on, especially to Slay and McClendon. With that in mind, Hancock is by no means a bad setter, so this Wednesday Trends-day reporter will overlook that in terms of her stock... for now. Her serves and her attacks pump up the crowd and the team way more than her sets, anyway.
Deja McClendon- Falling: McClendon hit .060 on 50 attacks against the Illini -- that number should say it all. McClendon didn’t hit like this last year or in the beginning of this year, and I don’t expect her to continue hitting this poorly. She’s already proven how dominant she can be. Still, her final hitting percentage last year (.331) doesn’t compare to what it is so far this year (.236). In other words, Deja is landing nearly 10 percent less of her attacks for kills.
Aiyana Whitney- Falling: Whitney’s 29 attacks against Illinois were her second-most of the season. She converted only four of those for kills and six for errors -- two of which were crucial lost points at the end of the fifth game. The result: a -.060 hitting percentage.
Ariel Scott- Flat: Unlike McClendon, Scott was not a starter last year. The spot she plays now once belonged to Blair Brown, and the difference in experience has been apparent. Still, Scott has matured as an opposite over the course of the season, and that will likely continue as she sees more and more attacks. She set a career-high 27 kills on 74 attacks against Illinois, but with 13 errors, she hit only .189. We’ve seen flashes of Scott’s inner beast when she looks likes an incredibly fierce and overwhelming hitter. Her next step is to harness that beast.
Tonight’s contest is the annual midseason matchup between the Nittany Lions and Zips. A series that began back in 1978, the Big Ten-MAC rivalry is tied 13-13-5.
The Lions come into tonight’s affair searching for their seventh win of the season and hope to get out of their recent slump, which has the team at 1-3-2 in their last six matches, dating back to the middle of September. Season stats are not in the Lions favor tonight as the team is 1-3-1 in road or neutral games this season, with the lone win away from home coming 1-0 over Florida International at the Wolstein Classic back in the beginning of September. That was also coach Bob Warming’s 400th career victory.
The squad is also 0-1-1 against nationally ranked opponents this season, suffering a 1-0 loss at Big Ten rival Indiana, but the squad did draw even with the Georgetown Hoyas 0-0 when they came to Happy Valley. If the Lions expect to come out of the hostile environment in Akron (where they rank second in the NCAA in terms of attendance) with a “W,” they are going to have to undoubtedly play their best soccer of the season. Getting a win would be huge for the Lion’s season and would break the 44-game unbeaten streak (41-0-3) that the Zips have at home, an NCAA record.
Akron is a team that is loaded with talent. So far on the season, the Zips (8-1-2) are hammering their opponents. They have netted 26 goals and have only allowed six to get past their goalkeeper. Four Zip wins have come by three goals or more, one coming in a 5-0 rout of Cleveland State. Sophomore sensation Darren Mattocks is no doubt the team’s star player. He has 21 points so far this season, scoring 10 goals, a team high, and recording one assist. Last year Mattocks was held scoreless at Jeffrey Field, but he did have three shots, one on goal in the contest. He finished last season ranked third in the NCAA with 18 goals.
Mattocks is not the only offensive threat for the Zips. They have a plethora of players that can find the back of the net, including seven players that have scored at least twice this season. Another player to watch is Scott Caldwell, the team assists leader. The junior is tied for first in the NCAA with seven assists.
Tonight’s match pits two of the best defensive squads in the country against each other, despite the Zips having three new starters this season on their backline. Both rank in the Top 5 in the NCAA in shutout percentage and both rank in the Top 10 in terms of goals allowed. Combined, the two teams have only allowed 13 goals on the season.
PENN STATE’S KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Defend, Defend, Defend, Defend, Defend. Keep the ball away from Mattocks as much as possible.
2. Capitalize on opportunities because there may only be a few.
3. Stay calm in the hostile environment. Don’t let their emotions get the best of them.
PREDICTION
Akron wins 2-0 in front of 4,000+ fans, but the Lions hold Mattocks scoreless.
For only the second time this season, the men’s soccer team (6-4-2, 0-3-0 Big Ten) find themselves unranked. This is following a week where the team went 1-1.
The Nittany Lions defeated the Penn Quakers last Tuesday night 2-0 at Jeffrey Field to remain unbeaten against in-state rivals this season (2-0). Goals by juniors Jacob Barron and Julian Cardona—both assisted by fellow junior John Gallagher—helped the Lions to put away the Quakers. The squad improved to 5-1-1 at home following the win.
Sunday afternoon things did not go as well for the Lions, who were searching for their first win and point in Big Ten play as they traveled to East Lansing to take on the Spartans. Facing a team that had only found the back of the net 12 times and had allowed 13 goals through 11 matches, one would have thought that the Lions would have been able to beat the Spartans. Unfortunately for the squad, that was not the case. They dropped a tough one on the road 1-0 and had difficulty on offense. The team only mustered four shots against the Spartans, none of which needed to be saved by the Spartans goalkeeper. The Lions also lost the corner kick battle 13-2. After the defeat, the Lions fall to 0-3 in the Big Ten with just three games remaining versus Northwestern and Wisconsin, and traveling to Ohio State sandwiched in between the remaining two Big Ten home matches.
Next up for the Lions is national powerhouse Akron Wednesday night. The Zips are ranked No. 5 in the country and are the defending national champions. They defeated the Lions 2-1 last season in Happy Valley when Michael Nanchoff sank the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 107th minute of play. The Lions hope that Wednesday night’s contest is a different result that last year’s match.
Deja McClendon leads Penn State with 204 kills and 522 attacks. She's second with 3.34 kills per set and fourth with 109 digs. As the stats show, Deja is one of the Nittany Lions' most versatile players. When she is on her game, she can be the most dominant offensive or defensive player on the floor. She can block and attack up front, and she can dig, pass and serve in the back. She is in most of the rallies every match, except to get an occasional rest. She and opposite Ariel Scott are at the top of the Lions' depth chart for outside hitter. She made a name for herself last year as Penn State's second most productive hitter after Blair Brown. She won Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2010.
Saturday-
Illinois 3 Penn State 2
Ohio State 3 Northwestern 1
Purdue 3 Iowa 0
Minnesota 3 Michigan State 0
Wisconsin 3 Michigan 1
Nebraska 3 Indiana 0
Team of the week:
Minnesota: The No. 14 Golden Gophers were down 0-2 on Friday on the road in Michigan and were staring a 1-4 start to the Big Ten season in the face. But Minnesota fought back and went on to win three straight sets against the Wolverines and followed it up with a sweep of Michigan State the following night. The two wins put Minnesota at 3-3 in the conference and keep their Big Ten title hopes, at least for now, alive.
Current standings (Team — Big Ten record, overall record):
After defeating Northwestern on Wednesday and losing to Illinois on Saturday — both in five sets — Penn State fell one spot to No. 9 in this week's AVCA Coaches poll. Illinois escaped Happy Valley with a win and remained the country's only undefeated team and remained the No. 1 team in the poll.
Here's the complete list of rankings with team records and first place votes in parentheses:
1. Illinois (58) 17-0
2. Washington 15-1
3. Southern California (1) 13-3
4. California 17-2
5. Nebraska 13-1
6. UCLA 14-3
7. Stanford 12-3
8. Hawai'i 15-1
9. Penn State 11-5
10. Texas 10-4
11. Purdue 15-2
12. Northern Iowa 17-1
13. Florida 13-3
14. Minnesota 10-5
15. Iowa State 14-3
16. Oregon 12-4
17. San Diego 18-1
18. Tennessee 15-2
19. Pepperdine 11-5
20. Michigan 14-4
21. Florida State 13-4
22. Oklahoma 17-4
23. Miami (FL) 14-2
24. Ohio State 13-6
25. Kentucky 16-3
On Sunday, the Nittany Lions (6-4-2, 0-3-0 Big Ten) lost 1-0 at Michigan State (4-6-2, 1-1-1 Big Ten) in East Lansing. Unfortunately along with the loss, the squad also had two players come out of the game either due to injuries or heat exhaustion.
Junior midfielder John Gallagher came out of the game in the third minute of play with a right calf injury. The Pine Bush, NY native would later return to the game but what not be 100 percent. In total, he played 25 minutes for Bob Warming’s Lions who have still yet to register a point in Big Ten play, the only team in the conference to do so.
On Monday, Gallagher met for two hours with the team doctor’s and established that he suffered a contusion in his right calf. They hooked a stimulus machine up to his calf and sent electric shock waves around where the swelling and pain were in his calf. That helped to drain out his calf and he can now put full pressure and even jog a little on it.
Teammate Owen Griffith came out of the game in the second half because he was suffering from heat exhaustion. The freshman defender had difficulty seeing out of his left eye, so the trainers cooled him down. He was still pretty sick after the game, but is feeling better now.
Both players are expected to be ready for the Lions next match Wednesday night at No. 3 Akron. The team is scheduled to do a brief training session tomorrow evening before taking to the road and heading to Akron.
Nia Grant: Aside from two service errors and two attack errors, Grant played a strong match. The freshman had 10 kills and hit a team-best hitting percentage of .500 and also had two and a half blocks in the Lions five set loss.
Hancock's serve: Micha Hancock's serve was great all night on Saturday. Hancock had a career best seven aces and did not record a service error. Her serve also kept the Fighting Illini on their toes and her aces excited the Rec Hall crowd.
Lowlights:
Errors: The Nittany Lions made a total of 55 errors (39 attack, five service, eight receiving, one blocking and two ball handling) against Illinois and it really cost the team down the stretch. With the fifth set tied at 11, the Lions gave the Illini their last four points all on errors to lose the set 15-12.
Aiyana Whitney: Whitney made more attack errors (6) than kills (4) on 29 swings for a -.069 hitting percentage.
Spotlight:
Will Deja McClendon turn it around?: McClendon was second on the team with 12 kills against Illinois, but she had nine errors and hit .060. In the last three matches, McClendon has hit under .100 twice and hasn't looked like the player that was named a second team All-American last year.
Here's week two of Bracketology. Here are the selection/seeding/bracketing steps I followed:
1. I went through the 31 conferences and picked the winner of each -- the automatic qualifier. I gave each team a letter grade based off their significant wins and losses.
2. While I picked each automatic qualifer, I also chose teams that I thought could earn an at-large big. I gave each of these teams letter grades as well.
3. I then seeded the top-16 schools, and matched up opponents following these priorities (starting with the highest):
A. Bracket balance (the highest graded schools start off playing the lowest graded schools)
B. Location (Limiting the amount of flight time for schools as much as possible)
C. Conference (Avoid matches between teams from the same conference up through the regional finals as much as possible)
Here are some guidelines to maximize your Bracketology experience. I will include these in every subsequent edition.
The NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament follows a 64-team, six-round, single elimination format.
Every conference must be represented by at least one school.
The top 16 overall teams are denoted by numbers before the school.
Match sites for the first two rounds are determined by the residing top-16 team in every cluster of four teams. For example, No. 1 Illinois, Appalachian State, North Carolina and Tulsa all play at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill., for the first two rounds.
The next two rounds -- the Regional semifinals and finals -- are played at the regional location denoted in bold at the top of each grouping of 16 teams.
The last two rounds -- the National semifinal and final -- are played in San Antonio, Texas.
Coming off of an excellent season, Lady Lion junior Alex Bentley has been named to the John R. Wooden Women’s Preseason Top 30 list for the 2012 Wooden Award.
The Wooden Award is widely regarded as the most prestigious prize in college basketball. Given annually to one player in both men’s and women’s college basketball, it takes into account a player’s season-long performance as well as his or her character. Previous winners of the women’s award include such famous players as current WNBA players Maya Moore from Connecticut (2009 and 2011) and Candace Parker from Tennessee (2007 and 2008).
Bentley, the 5’-7” point guard from Indianapolis, was an all-Big Ten selection last year, leading the Lady Lions in minutes per game (31.6), assists per game (5.0), and steals (69). Her assists per game ranked second in the Big Ten, her 14.4 points per game ranked twelfth, and her 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio fourth. She helped the 25-10 Lady Lions return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
That’s not all Bentley has to look forward to this season, though; she is also one of 25 players currently on the “Wade Watch” list for the 2012 State Farm Wade Trophy. The Wade Trophy is regarded as the “Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” as it is annually given to the best Division I female baller in the nation.
Defense in the Box - While the Nittany Lions did surrender a first half goal on a header inside the 18, the defense held strong against a fierce Spartan attack throughout the game. Michigan State came close to extending its lead on several occasions, but the defense, led by Andrew Wolverton’s six saves, made several key stops that kept the Lion’s hopes alive.
The Not-So-Good:
Finishing Plays - It took a while for Penn State to get anything going offensively and falling behind 1-0 certainly didn’t help. However, the Lions did start to create chances late in the first half and throughout the second. The problem seemed to be the connecting on the final touch, as the Lions couldn’t put a great shot on net. Despite not scoring, Penn State can look at those plays as something to build on. If the Lions can find ways to finish those plays, their goal production will increase.
Balance with the Spartans - The scoreboard was not the only place Michigan State held an advantage on Penn State. The Spartans recorded more shots and corner kicks, and they controlled most of the game. If the Lions hope to change their fortunes in their upcoming games, they will need to create chances like their opponents.
A Look Ahead:
The Lions schedule does not get much easier, as they will travel to play defending national champion Akron on Wednesday. Fortunately for Penn State, the team still has a chance to make up some ground in the Big Ten with two of their three remaining conference games at home.
The No. 8 Penn State women's volleyball team (11-5, 4-2 Big Ten) lost a dramatic but ultimately disappointing five-set match to undefeated No. 1 Illinois Saturday night (21-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12) at Rec Hall.
Despite winning the first and third sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match, the Nittany Lions dropped the last two sets to lose the match.
Coach Russ Rose said he was disappointed by the outcome and by some of the Nittany Lions' errors.
"It was an interesting match," Rose said. "I thought we had some opportunities."
In the last set to 15, the Lions tied the score at 11 but made errors on four of the next five points to lose the set and the match.
Sophomore Ariel Scott credited a large Rec Hall crowd of over 5,000 with helping to provide energy to the team, but even the support of the fans wasn't enough.
There were some positives to take from the match, though. Freshman Dominique Gonzalez earned some of her first significant playing time and recorded a career-high 14 digs. Junior libero Ali Longo also set a career-high in digs, with 24.
Freshman setter Micha Hancock's fast-paced serve was a threat all match long, and Hancock improved her consistency in that aspect. She scored a career-high seven aces without any serving errors. The Lions nine total aces tied for second-most in the rally-scoring era in five set matches.
Sophomore outside hitter Ariel Scott carried much of the offensive load for the Lions, with 74 attacks, a career-high for her. With those attacks, Scott kept Penn State in the match with a career-high 27 kills.
However, despite the record-setting night, the Lions were disappointed to walk out without a win. The team's 39 hitting errors eventually sank Penn State against the more efficient Illini.
No. 8 Penn State is set to take on No. 1 Illinois in a little over 20 minutes. Here are our pre-match predictions.
Match score:
Dan Norton: 3-2 Illinois
Stephen Pianovich: 3-1 Penn State
Matt Howland: 3-2 Penn State
Kristin Carpenter assists: over/under 4.5:
Norton: over
Pianovich: under
Howland: under
Darcy Dorton kills: over/under 3.5
Norton: over
Pianovich: under
Howland: over
Deja McClendon hitting percentage: over/under .300:
Norton: over
Pianovich: over
Howland: under
Bold Predictions:
Norton: Thriller at Rec Hall, more than 15 lead changes, and the last game does down to the wire. Illinois wins 18-16 in final set. Penn State loses, but walks away with heads held high.
Pianovich: Katie Slay has a season high 13 kills.
Howland: Four Penn State players get account for at least five blocks.
1. It doesn't seem like Penn State can play good consistent volleyball. It's been a major theme all year, the Nittany Lions will play some good matches and then play some bad matches. After the Minnesota match it seemed like Penn State was headed in the right direction, but then the Lions came out against Northwestern and played poorly in their five set victory. After really limiting errors against the Gophers, the Lions committed 10 receiving errors and allowed 10 aces to the Wildcats.
2. The Illinois match will prove a lot about Penn State. The Lions will have a couple days of practice to try and get things in order against the No. 1 Illini. Saturday night's match will be a great opportunity for this young Penn State team to protect its home court and show the country that the Lions are still an elite team.
3. Saturday night's match will also teach us a lot about Illinois. The Illini are the nation's only undefeated team, but their unblemished record will be tested this weekend. After a stop in Columbus tonight to face the No. 25 Buckeyes, Illinois will be playing in Rec Hall on Saturday night in front of what should be a great crowd. Illinois does have good wins over Purdue and Minnesota, but the Illini will really get the chance to prove if they're worthy of the No. 1 spot this weekend.
Katie Slay: It's odd when Slay isn't a highlight in Penn State's matches. She hit .500, blocked two solo and six assisted for almost half of the Nittany Lions' 11 total blocks and chipped in a dig (just to prove beyond any doubt her versatility). Rose said he wants her to get more balls, because she lands nearly half of all her attacks for kills. Slay calls for balls often, so it'll be interesting to see if Rose has Micha Hancock start setting to his middle hitter more.
Ariel Scott OR Deja McClendon?: The rule here is both can't be a highlight at the same time because that's how they've played all season, and that trend continued against Northwestern. When Scott is hitting well, McClendon struggles. When McClendon is hitting well, Scott struggles. The two outside hitters are lucky to have Slay in the middle as a secondary attack option or both would start seeing more of their attacks stuffed at the net. But when Scott and McClendon play hot, they're attacks are hard to contain. But for now, Rose can only imagine what life would be like if both were hot at the same time.
Lowlights
Serving/Passing: Both Penn State and Northwestern looked sloppy serving and passing. The result was a lot of free balls, overpasses, service errors and long rallies. When there's no front row jumping attack off the initial reception, or second, or third, or fourth, it's just a bunch of players hitting a ball over a net to each other. Slay said those long rallies can build momentum, but only when the Lions win them, and they lost several of them against the Wildcats.
The crowd: Pretty small showing Wednesday night. Especially small showing for a scheduled whiteout (no, we didn't know until the match either). Phillies were playing, so that probably had something to do it. Penn State has a match with No. 1 Illinois right after the football game on Saturday at 8 p.m., and that will probably draw a pretty big crowd (as long as the game's over).
Spotlight
What will Penn State do against Illinois?: It seems like a pretty general questions, but honestly, who knows? Lately it seems like predicting how Penn State will play is like predicting what the weather will be in State College. The Lions certainly advantage from playing at home (see USC, Minnesota), but that also proved inconsequential at times against lesser teams (see Northwestern, Florida Gulf Coast). The only player Rose seems confident in right now is Slay. As for the rest, he just doesn't know who's going to show up for any given match. Also, the 2010 national championship banner is being raised Saturday, so look for that to pump up the Lions early.
The Penn State women's volleyball team (11-4, 4-1 Big Ten) defeated Northwestern Wednesday night in Rec Hall in five sets (25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 13-25, 15-11).
The Nittany Lions won the first set, and the two teams swapped sets until the Lions fought off a late comeback in the fifth set. In that set, Penn State jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the strength of freshman Micha Hancock's serve. However, Northwestern stayed with the Lions and had the score at 13-11 before Penn State scored the last two points to win the match.
While Penn State did win the match, coach Russ Rose was disappointed in his team's performance, saying the players were no better than he's seen in the team's lackluster practices this week.
Check Thursday's Daily Collegian for more coverage of the Nittany Lions' home win.
No. 8 Penn State faces Northwestern tonight at 8 p.m. Our Daily Collegian reporters, Matt Howland (@RowlandHowland), Dan Norton (DanNorton86) and Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich), will offer our predictions about the match.
Match score:
Matt Howland: 3-0 PSU
Stephen Pianovich: 3-0 PSU
Dan Norton: 3-0 PSU
Maddie Martin more kills or digs:
Howland: Digs
Pianovich : Digs
Norton: Digs
NW over/under total points 49.5:
Howland: under
Pianovich: over
Norton: over
More total attacks Ariel Scott or Deja McClendon:
Howland: Scott
Pianovich: McClendon
Norton: Scott
Stephanie Holthus kills over/under 12.5:
Howland: under
Pianovich: under
Norton: over
Katie Slay blocks over/under 5.5 total
Howland: over
Pianovich: over
Norton: even
Micha Hancock: more aces or service errors
Howland: errors
Pianovich: aces
Norton: aces
Bold prediction:
Howland: PSU goes down early in the first set, comes back, and never trails a set afterwards.
Pianovich: Katie Kabbes has at least 6 kills.
Norton: Micha Hancock serves a ball into a tuba in the pep band.
Every Wednesday we'll take a look at whose stock on the Penn State women's
volleyball team is rising, falling, or flat. Here goes:
Katie Kabbes - Rising: After starting the season as a
starter, Kabbes fell out of favor with coach Russ Rose. However, on Saturday
against No. 10 Minnesota, Kabbes was called on by her coach to provide an
experienced blocking force at the net. Kabbes responded well to the call-up and
she had three block assists as well as five kills on eight attacks in the
Nittany Lions sweep of the Golden Gophers. It remains to be seen if Kabbes will
see further action in the matches to come — such as tonight's home match with
Northwestern at 8 p.m. — but she was a key factor on Saturday.
Nia Grant - Rising: The freshman Grant also stepped
up defensively in the team's blocking effort. She had six block assists, and
— more surprisingly — saw some time in the back row with four digs,
something both her and sophomore Deja McClendon commented on in practice
Tuesday. Grant had one kill on five attacks and no errors as well. If she can
continue to play well defensively and limit her errors, Grant will likely earn
even more time in the lineup.
Maddie Martin - Rising: Martin, an outside hitter,
played exclusively in the back row on Saturday and tallied a career-high 10
digs. Martin demonstrated her versatility and usefulness as a role player for
the team, and she'll surely continue to play if she can continue to play well
wherever Rose puts her.
Ali Longo - Flat: Longo had a solid weekend, neither
playing especially well nor playing poorly. The sophomore libero followed up an
11 dig performance against Wisconsin with a four dig showing against Minnesota.
Despite the decline, Longo didn't hurt her stock, as she played most of the
balls she touched well. There is likely still an ongoing competition for the
libero spot, but the opposite-color jersey is Longo's to lose still.
Aiyana Whitney - Falling: Freshman hitter Whitney
took a hit in her playing time against Minnesota, after hitting .000 (three
kills and three errors) on 16 attacks. While Whitney played just about as well
as possible the next night against Minnesota, with two kills on four attacks,
she clearly lost some stock after the Wisconsin match. However, Whitney is
young and inexperienced, and has plenty of time to play her way back into
contention for more playing time.
Quick Offense - To see what the Lions did well in this game, one does not need to look any further than the scoreboard. The Nittany Lions appeared to break out of their scoring slump with a goal by Jacob Barron in the fifth minute. Scoring early in games has been an issue for the Lions this year, especially when playing at Jeffrey Field. With Tuesday night’s game, it looks like the Lions have figured something out. The Lions scored another quick goal when Julian Cardona came off the bench to start the second half and scored on a brilliant diving header early in the second half.
The Way They Scored - While the Lions will gladly take goals off deflections or loose balls in the box, the team is glad to create and convert opportunities that they create. Both goals against Penn came off of plays made by Penn State players. The first goal came when John Gallagher headed a cross to the top of the box, where Barron was able to one-time the shot past the keeper. The second goal was also set up by Gallagher. The midfielder dribbled toward the endline near the corner and sent a cross through the air into the box. The pass found a streaking Cardona who dove and sent a header in for a spectacular goal. Coach Bob Warming said his team has the skill to create those types of goals, and for his players to execute in a game situation is good to see.
Relentless Attack - Even with a comfortable 2-0 lead, the offense did not want to slow down. Penn State continued to push the ball up the field, looking to pile on the goals. Both Barron and Cardona came within feet of tallying a multi-score night. Barron sent a shot that went over the crossbar by less than a foot in the second half. Cardona chipped a ball over the keeper but the shot slowed down enough before reaching the goal to allow a Penn defender to clear it away.
Andrew Wolverton - The freshman goalkeeper recorded another shutout, but this may have been his most hard-earned. In the first half, the Penn State defensive line played high to help put pressure on the Penn defense. However, this created chances for Penn, as they were able to send passes through the line and get shots on goal. Wolverton met every challenge, including a couple that required him to run up and smother a ball before a Quaker could get a shot off. If the freshman was still having any confidence problems in goal, those potential doubts should be gone now.
The Not-So-Good:
The Defense: It’s hard to criticize the defense in a shutout, but the unit did show some early vulnerability. The group had some early trouble matching the speed presented by Penn’s offense, and it led to some early shots. However, to the group’s credit, they showed the ability to adapt as the game progressed, and opportunities for the Quakers became harder and harder to come by.
A Look Ahead:
With a win under their belt, the Lions will look to make a move in the Big Ten standings and capture their first victory. The Lions will also have to show an ability to win on the road, with six of their next seven games on the road. Penn State will travel to Michigan State for a matchup on Sunday afternoon, and then will square off against defending national champion Akron next Wednesday.
A week after falling three spots in the NCAA rankings, the Lions fell in the rankings again. This time, they now find themselves unranked for the first time this season.
At this time last week, the team was looking forward to the three-game home stand that was coming up with Georgetown, Michigan, and Penn all coming to town. Wins over these teams would have greatly improved the team’s ranking.
One week later, the Lions are 0-1-1 on the home stand, drawing 0-0 with the Hoyas and suffering their first loss at home of the season, 2-1 Saturday night against Michigan. With just Penn left for the Lions on this home stand, it is crucial that they beat the Quakers to boost their RPI. The team said a loss tonight would really hurt the team come tournament time.
The squad did receive 29 votes from the NCAA coaches that vote on the rankings.
Keys to tonight’s contest at Jeffrey Field will be for the Lions to mark up in the box — something senior defender Mark Fetrow said that team did not do well, especially late in the last match against Michigan — controlling the possession and capitalizing on their opportunities.
Penn State looks to break their four game winless streak and bounce back from its first home loss of the season tonight against the Quakers.
Katie Slay, a sophomore on the Penn State women's volleyball team, won the Big Ten defensive player of the week award for her strong blocking against Wisconsin Friday night and No. 10 Minnesota Saturday night.
Slay's award is the second such award she has won thus far this season.
Coach Russ Rose praised her performances after each match, emphasizing that Slay has been one of the team's most consistent players all season.
Slay rebounded from her worst performance of the season last weekend against Iowa to have a strong night against Wisconsin. The sophomore middle hitter tallied five blocks, including two solo blocks. Slay also had eight kills on nine total attacks.
Slay also led the way for the Nittany Lions' defense against the Golden Gophers. Her seven total blocks, including another two solo blocks, were instrumental in slowing down Minnesota's high powered offense. Minnesota's star outside hitter Ashley Wittman was forced into eight hitting errors, partly as a result of Slay's play at the net.
For more on the Lions' blocking over the weekend, see this story from Monday's Daily Collegian:
After the first two rounds of play today in the Wolfpack Intercollegiate in Raleigh, N.C., the Penn State golfers are struggling in fourteenth place of the sixteen teams competing.
The Nittany Lions’ overall score is 599, good for 31-over-par. At 28 strokes behind tournament leader No. 39 Memphis, a comeback is nearly impossible for the Lions with only one round of holes being played tomorrow.
The best player thus far for the Lions has been senior Tommy McDonagh at +5. He stands tied for 26th among the individual golfers playing.
After McDonagh, the rest of the team has had struggles: sophomore Shane Stewart (+8), juniors Ernie Marin (+10) and Anthony DeGol (+14) and freshman Xander McDonald-Smith (+15) are all in the bottom half of the leaderboard.
The team had much higher expectations than this, as McDonagh and DeGol said yesterday that they expected to win. McDonagh said that the long length of the Loonie Poole Course suited the team well because they’re good hitters off the tee.
On Tuesday, the team will play the final round of the tournament.
Every Monday we’ll take a look at what happened in the past week in the Big Ten. Here’s this week’s conference roundup.
Results:
Wednesday -
Purdue 3 Northwestern 1
Friday -
Penn State 3 Wisconsin 0
Ohio State 3 Minnesota 0
Michigan 3 Iowa 0
Illinois 3 Indiana 1
Nebraska 3 Michigan State 2
Saturday -
Illinois 3 Purdue 1
Penn State 3 Minnesota 0
Northwestern 3 Indiana 0
Nebraska 3 Michigan 0
Michigan State 3 Iowa 0
Sunday -
Wisconsin 3 Ohio State 1
Team of the week:
Illinois: The No. 1 team in the country did drop a set to Indiana on Friday night, but the following night the Illini knocked off Purdue in a battle of unbeatens. With the win, Illinois improves its overall record to 15-0, making the Illini the only undefeated team in the country. Their unblemished record will be tested this weekend as Illinois has to play both Ohio State and Penn State on the road.
Current standings (Team — Big Ten record, overall record):
In this week's AVCA coaches poll, Penn State moved up one spot to No. 8. Illinois remained first in the poll and is the only undefeated team in the country, they will travel to face the Nittany Lions on Saturday night at 8.
Minnesota, who was swept by both Ohio State and Penn State over the weekend dropped out of the top-10 and is currently No. 14. The Big Ten is still well represented in the top-25 with seven ranked teams.
Here's the complete top-25 with team records and first-place votes in parentheses:
Here's week two of Bracketology. This week, I tried to base my predictions as much off the NCAA selection committee's criteria as possible. Here are the steps I followed.
1. I went through the 31 conferences and picked the winner of each -- the automatic qualifier. I gave each team a letter grade based off their significant wins and losses.
2. While I picked each automatic qualifer, I also chose teams that I thought could earn an at-large big. I gave each of these teams letter grades as well.
3. I then seeded the top-16 schools, and matched up opponents following these priorities (starting with the highest): A. Bracket balance (the highest graded schools start off playing the lowest graded schools)
B. Location (Limiting the amount of flight time for schools as much as possible)
C. Conference (Avoid matches between teams from the same conference up through the regional finals as much as possible)
Here are some guidelines to maximize your Bracketology experience. I will include these in every subsequent edition.
The NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament follows a 64-team, six-round, single elimination format.
Every conference must be represented by at least one school.
The top 16 overall teams are denoted by numbers before the school.
Match sites for the first two rounds are determined by the residing top-16 team in every cluster of four teams. For example, No. 1 Illinois, Appalachian State, North Carolina and Tulsa all play at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill., for the first two rounds.
The next two rounds -- the Regional semifinals and finals -- are played at the regional location denoted in bold at the top of each grouping of 16 teams.
The last two rounds -- the National semifinal and final -- are played in San Antonio, Texas.
Here's a look at some of the highlights, lowlights and what's in the spotlight for the Nittany Lion women's volleyball team after their two wins this weekend.
Highlights:
Blocking: Penn State's net defense was strong against both Wisconsin and No. 10 Minnesota over the weekend. The Lions recorded 11.5 total team blocks on Friday against the Badgers, and followed that performance up with 14.5 total team blocks against Minnesota on Saturday night.
Katie Slay: Slay played a major part in Penn State's blocking (accounting for eight blocks on the weekend), but the 6-foot-6 sophomore was also good on offense. She recorded 17 kills on 21 swings in the two matches combined and had her second career service ace to end the Wisconsin match.
Lowlights:
Hitting against Wisconsin: The Lions racked up 18 total hitting errors and hit .202 against the Badgers. Penn State's two most prominent attackers — Deja McClendon and Ariel Scott — combined for 20 kills, but had 10 errors between them and neither hit above .250.
Spotlight:
Can they keep playing like they did against Minnesota? Penn State is young, but they have a ton of talent and their play has been inconsistent all year. The Lions played arguably their best match of the year against the Gophers on Saturday night, and now the question is can they follow up that performance?
In a span of time that took 18 seconds off the game clock, the emotions for the Nittany Lions went from elation to heartbreak.
After scoring a dramatic game-tying goal with 1:21 left in the second half, Michigan quickly countered and scored with 1:03 to play, lifting the Wolverines to a 2-1 victory against No. 19 Penn State.
Following the Lions’ goal, Michigan pushed the ball toward at the Penn State defense. The Wolverines drew a foul, and were set up with a free kick.
The ball found its way into the box, where the Lions (5-3-2, 0-2-0 Big Ten) were unable to clear it, and Michigan found a way to slip it into the back of the net.
“We give up a foul there, with only one forward up high to set it up,” coach Bob Warming said. “And then just being a little naive … It really wasn’t a great mentality by the team there.”
Before allowing the second goal, the Lions had spent the previous 14 minutes trying to find an equalizing goal. In a game where Penn State recorded nine shots on goal, it seemed that the Lions could not catch a break.
However, with less than 90 seconds to play, Mackenzie Arment crossed a ball to the far post from the right side of the box, and 6-foot-5 Mark Fetrow jumped through a crowd to head the ball into the net.
The satisfaction did not last long, as Michigan quickly found an answer.
After being unable to answer in the final minute, senior defender Matt Smallwood said the team lost focus after tying the game.
“We had a mental lapse,” he said. “At the end, you’ve got to be determined to get the ball there. Something happened and we just didn’t clear the ball. It’s shameful.”
Despite the loss, the Lions were unable to overcome another game featuring heavy rain and break out of a long scoreless drought.
The goal was the first for the Lions since their win against St. Francis more than two weeks ago.
Despite the goal, Penn State could not hold onto the lead and force overtime, and the players said they need to convert more chances.
“One’s not good enough,” Fetrow said. “We’ve got to keep working. We’ve got to keep scoring.”
The Lions controlled most aspects of the game, outshooting Michigan 16-6 and gaining more corner kicks, 6-1.
The Lions were unable to convert on several opportunities, including a play in the first half when the Lions had three shots combine to hit the crossbar, the Michigan goalie and the post in a matter of seconds.
To email reporter: crr5101@psu.edu
After the second day of competition in the Nittany Lion Invitational, the Penn State women’s golf team currently sits in a tie for second with Friday’s leader Longwood University with a two round total of 23-over-par. Eastern Michigan leads the field at 21-over-par.
Despite being faced with harsh conditions including strong winds, cold temperatures and rain, the Nittany Lions remained poised and under control to shoot their lowest score of the season. (294)
Freshman Katlyn Elliot and sophomore Christina Vosters are in a three-way tie for eighth place overall shooting 5-over-par for the tournament.
The final round begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start. The Lions are looking to repeat as champions of this tournament.
No. 9 Penn State knocked off No. 10 Minnesota in straight sets 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-20) on Saturday night in Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lion defense was strong at the net as Penn State came up with a total of 14.5 team blocks. Ariel Scott and Nia Grant each had 5 block assists and Katie slay had six block assists and also two solo blocks for Penn State (10-4, 3-1 Big Ten).
“I wish [tonight] was how we played all the time,” coach Russ Rose said. “I thought we did a nice job in a number of areas.”
Minnesota (8-5, 1-3 Big Ten) made mistakes all night. The Golden Gophers committed 21 attack errors, eight service errors and five reception errors in their three set loss.
Ariel Scott led the Lions in kills again with 14. Slay chipped in offensively with nine kills and Deja McClendon and senior Katie Kabbes split ten kills evenly. Penn State hit .289 as a team and had only eight hitting errors on 93 swings.
Minnesota led the second game 24-23, and served for set point, but Penn State rattled off three straight points to win 26-24.
Penn State hit .444 in the third set, and ended the match on a 17-7 run to bury the Gophers.
The No. 9 Penn State women's volleyball team faces No. 10 Minnesota at 6 p.m. in Rec Hall. Our Daily Collegian reporters, Matt Howland (@RowlandHowland), Dan Norton (DanNorton86) and Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich), will offer our predictions about the match.
Match score:
Howland: 3-2 Penn State Pianovich: 3-2 Minnesota Norton: 3-2 Penn State
Darcy Dorton total attacks: Over/Under 5.5
Howland: Under Pianovich: Under Norton: Over
Ariel Scott kills: Over/Under 11.5 kills
Howland: Over Pianovich: Over Norton: Under
More digs: Minnesota's Jessica Granquist or Penn State's Ali Longo
Howland: Katie Slay and Nia Grant Pianovich: Katie Slay and Nia Grant Norton: Katie Slay and Micha Hancock
Kristin Carpenter digs: Over/Under 5.5
Howland: Under Pianovich: Under Norton: Over
Bold Predictions:
Howland: Minnesota's Ashley Wittman has more than 50 attacks. Pianovich: Deja McClendon gets a double-double: kills and digs. Norton: Maddie Martin has more than five kills and more than five digs.
Four unanswered goals by the Blue team in the Icers' annual Blue/White game resulted in a 5-3 victory Friday night at the Ice Pavilion.
The four goals, all coming in the second half, began with sophomore defender Nate Jensen, collecting freshman forward Tommy Olczyk’s rebound and putting the puck past goaltender Matt Madrazo.
Senior Nick Seravalli tied the contest at three apiece, and sophomore forward Justin Kirchhevel scored back-to-back goals in a span of just three minutes.
Kirchhevel said a month of practice was tough and the sophomore added he was glad to finally get a chance to play in a game.
“It’s definitely good to get our feet wet and get in a game situation again and have fans for once,” Kirchhevel said. “It’s definitely a good start.”
Assistant coach Keith Fisher said the guys are sick of practicing and the Blue/White game was not only good for the players, but the coaches as well.
“It’s nice for the coaching staff to evaluate guys in a game setting versus practice,” Fisher said. “They are two different things and a lot of times you get two different players.”
Freshman Brandon Russo and seniors Chris Cerutti and Dan Petrick were out of the lineup due to injuries. Cerutti injured his left knee on Aug. 23, and Icers coach Guy Gadowsky confirmed on Aug. 24 the forward sustained a Grade II medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain. Petrick is out with a small fracture in his left wrist.
Fisher couldn’t say much about Russo’s injury.
“I don’t know too much specifically about it, but he’ll be out for a couple weeks probably,” Fisher said.
The Blue/White game was two, 30-minute halves with a running clock.
As for the next week, the Icers have their first regular season game Oct. 7 against Lebanon Valley at the Ice Pavilion.
