Memorial Coliseum, Lexington KY
Regional Final: Penn State vs. Stanford
Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY
Saturday, December 14, 2013 4:00 p.m. ET
Media: ESPNU; Watch ESPN; CBSsports.com’s GameTracker
Penn State Claws Back Against a Very Tough Spartan Team
“As I told the players earlier, for some of them, the weight of the match is a really heavy load. It was even more of a challenge for them the way they lost the first game. Michigan State certainly played well, and we had to make some adjustments.” (Penn State Head Coach Russ Rose on Friday night’s 3-1 win over Michigan State.)
“I think we need to be loose, and not be so tight Just relax If we make an error, bring it in, we’re good, people make errors. Just try to get to 25 first. That’s the most important.” (Penn State’s Jr. DS Lacey Fuller, on preparing for Saturday’s Regional Final.)
Some Penn State fans think the Nittany Lions have something like the Friday Night Blues — that they don’t play as well on Friday nights. We have no idea whether that is true or not (and our slacker staff laughed . . . loudly . . . when we asked if they would look into that for us, saying “It’s Friday night. We don’t work well on Friday nights!)
We suspect that, as Coach Rose notes in the video below, a lot of last night’s “Friday night” performance can be attributed to how well Michigan State played. The Spartans are a very good women’s volleyball team.
What we do know is the Penn State seniors came through when it counted. 6-4 Sr. RS/Opp Ariel Scott totaled 15 kills (.351 attack %), with 3 digs and 5 blocks. 6-1 Sr. OH Deja McClendon had a double-double, with 14 kills and 10 digs. 6-6 Sr. MH Katie Slay led totaled 8 blocks and put down 8 kills (.353 attack %). The underclass Nittany Lions did their part too, as 6-2 So. OH Megan Courtney also came through with a double-double — 10 kills and 14 digs. 5-11 Jr. setter Micha Hancock directed the team to a .283 attack %, posting 47 assists, 14 digs and 7 kills (.636 attack %). 5-6 Jr. libero Dominique Gonzalez was solid with 16 digs, and energy-sub 5-6 Jr. DS Lacey Fuller totaled 8 digs.
Stanford Post-Match Press Conference
Stat Joust – Differential Equations
Stat Joust - Penn State vs. Stanford: Attack (12-12-13)
| Team | SP | Kills | Kills/Set | Att Err | TA | Hit Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 111 | 1570 | 14.14 | 439 | 3606 | .314 |
Stanford| 104 | 1540 | 14.81 | 387 | 3692 | .312 |
|
| Opponents Penn State | 111 | 1174 | 10.58 | 691 | 3677 | .131 |
| Opponents Stanford 104 | 1290 | 12.40 | 643 | 3941 | .164 |
|
| Differential Penn State | 111 | 396 | 3.56 | -252 | -71 | .183 |
| Differential Stanford 104 | 250 | 2.41 | -256 | -249 | .148 |
|
Stat Joust - Penn State vs. Stanford: Serving (12-12-13)
| Team | SP | SA | SA/Set | SE | SE/Set | Differential SA/Set minus SE/Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 111 | 150 | 1.35 | 234 | 2.11 | -0.76 |
Stanford| 104 | 115 | 1.11 | 182 | 1.75 | -0.64 |
|
| Opponents Penn State | 111 | 45 | 0.41 | 196 | 1.77 | -1.36 |
| Opponents Stanford 104 | 93 | 0.89 | 161 | 1.55 | -0.66 |
|
Stat Joust - Penn State vs. Stanford: Blocking (12-12-13)
| Team | SP | Block Solo | Block Asst. | Total Blk. | Blks/ Set | Blk Err |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 111 | 92 | 505 | 344.5 | 3.10 | 63 |
Stanford| 104 | 62 | 505 | 314.5 | 3.02 | 65 |
|
| Opponents Penn State | 111 | 35 | 307 | 188.5 | 1.70 | 61 |
| Opponents Stanford 104 | 43 | 234 | 160.0 | 1.54 | 34 |
|
| Differential Penn State | 111 | 57 | 198 | 156.0 | 1.40 | 2 |
| Differential Stanford 104 | 19 | 271 | 154.5 | 1.48 | 31 |
|
Match Stats: Penn State vs. Michigan State
(Courtesy of GoPSUsports.com)
