For Immediate Release:

Jen Armson, Women’s Volleyball Contact

Penn State Athletic Communications

 

Baton Rouge, La., August 25, 2006 – The second-ranked Penn State women’s volleyball team opened up the 2006 slate with a win, routing Nicholls State in three games (30-11, 30-15, 30-18) Friday afternoon at the LSU Classic in Baton Rouge, La.

 

Sixteen Nittany Lion players saw action in the contest, with sophomore Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) and freshman Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) leading the team with nine kills each. Sophomore Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and junior Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.) both recorded eight kills as freshman Megan Hodge (Durham, N.H.) tallied six kills. As a team, Penn State attacked at a .429 clip for the match, including .556 in the first game.

 

The Nittany Lions ran a multi-setter offense throughout the match, with Glass leading the way with 17 assists. Freshman Jessica Yanz (Bolingbrook, Ill.) dished out 12 assists in two games while junior Ann Naylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) provided five assists in the third game.

 

Penn State outdug Nicholls State, 35 to 24, led by Hodge with 11 digs. Yanz tallied six digs while junior Ashley Fidler (Wauconda, Ill.) notched four and junior Kate Price (Fraser, Mich.) and senior Kris Brown (Wooster, Ill.) each collected three.

 

The Nittany Lions controlled the net, recording 14.0 team blocks to the Colonels’ 5.0. Walbridge fell just shy of her career high with nine blocks as Glass posted seven and Fawcett posted four, also one short of her career best mark. Harmotto contributed three blocks as Hodge and senior Cassy Salyer (Aurora, Colo.) each recorded two blocks.

 

Nine aces were served by Penn State, with Fidler, Naylor and Price contributing two each and Yanz, Glass and junior Kara Callahan (Bloomington, Ill.) all providing one. 

 

A Walbridge overpass kill opened up the 2006 season for the Nittany Lions and a block from Harmotto and Glass and a Hodge kill put Penn State up 5-4. A Glass kill and a Price service error sparked an 11-0 run to put the Lions up 18-7. A Glass ace and a Fawcett kill aiding in extending the lead to 23-9 before kills from Hodge and Harmotto, a block from Hodge and Harmotto and a Yanz ace ended the game, 30-11. Harmotto led the Lions with four kills as the squad attacked at a .556 clip. Walbridge and Glass each provided four blocks in the stanza. Hodge, Yanz and libero Kate Price all recorded three digs in the game.

 

Penn State started the second game on a 5-0 run aided by a block from Fawcett and Glass and kill from Fawcett and Harmotto. Back to back kills from Harmotto and Glass pushed the score to 7-1 and a block from Walbridge and Salyer made it 11-2. Nicholls State fought back to within three at 12-9 but a Hodge kill halted the run and kills from Fawcett and Harmotto put the Lions ahead 19-11. Two Glass kills and a block from Glass and Walbridge extended the Penn State lead to 23-13 and a Walbridge kill sparked a 5-1 Lion run to end the game, 30-15. Fawcett provided five kills in the set as Glass added four, Harmotto posted three and Salyer and Walbridge recorded two each. Walbridge tallied three blocks and Glass added two as the Nittany Lions attacked at a .536 for the game. Hodge led the squad in digs with four as libero Kris Brown recorded three.

 

Back to back aces by libero Ashley Fidler knotted the score at 5-5 and kills from Fawcett, Laura Holloway (Barrington, Ill.) and Walbridge put Penn State up 11-7. A block from Fawcett and Walbridge made it 13-7 and back to back Naylor service aces pushed the score to 20-12. A Harmotto overpass kill and an ace from junior Kara Callahan gave Penn State the 27-16 lead before a Harmotto kill and a Walbridge kill off a dig from sophomore Brooke Banker (Warwick, N.Y.) ended the game, 30-18. Fidler collected three digs as libero in the game.

 

Penn State continues action in the LSU Classic when it takes on Rice at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26. The Nittany Lions and host Tigers close out play at 7:00 p.m.

 

For more information on the Penn State women’s volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.