Match Preview: Penn State vs. Indiana

Photo by jdfrens, Wikipedia Commons

The Match: Penn State (13-2; 3-1 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (12-4, 0-4 Big Ten)

Where and When: Bloomington, IN., 7:00 p.m. E.T.

Media Coverage: Game Tracker

Match Snapshot:

Indiana started off gangbusters, slicing through its pre-Big Ten opponents with relative ease.  The Big Ten schedule has been a different story, as the Hoosiers have yet to record a victory.  Indiana is 0-4 in Big Ten play, with its most recent loss this past Sunday, to Minnesota, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20).   One bright spot for Indiana has been the stellar play of 6-3 Sr. MB Ashley Benson (who was out with an injury for the Minnesota match), who already holds Indiana’s single-season hitting percentage and total blocks records, as well as the career record for blocks (526).  In the Big Ten, her .444 attack % is second only to Penn State’s  6-3 Sr. MH Arielle Wilson’s .462.  She is 6th in both kills/set (3.70) and blocks/set (1.30).  Other key players for the Hoosiers include 5-2 Jr. L Caitlin Cox  (8th in the Big Ten with 3.87 digs/set), 6-3 Jr. S. Mary Chaudoin (8th in the Big Ten with 10.21 assists/set) and 6-1 Sr. MB Taylor Wittmer .

For Penn State, 6-3 Sr. MH Arielle Wilson (2.79 kills/set, .462 attack %, 1.223 blocks/set), 6-5 Sr. Opp. Blair Brown (3.63 kills/set, .324 attack %), 6-1 Fr. OH Deja McClendon (3.53 kills/set, .356 attack %) lead the way offensively. In addition to Wilson, Brown , and McClendon, key players for Penn State include 6-3 Sr. MH Fatima Balza (1.37 bps), 6-6 Fr. MH Katie Slay (1.48 blocks/set – best among Big Ten freshmen), 5-9 Sr. L Alyssa D’Errico (4.08 dps, .67 aces/s), 5-6 So. S Kristin Carpenter (10.14 asst./s), 6-5 Jr. OH Katie Kabbes (1.98 kps) and 5-1 Sr. DS Cathy Quilico (1.88 dps).

Rosters and Stats

Here are the Rosters for the Nittany Lions and the Hoosiers, followed by a statistical comparison of the two teams and their players:

Penn State

Updated as of 8-24-2010

Indiana

 

  

No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown/High School
10   Benson, Ashley Middle Blocker   SR   6-3 Bloomington, Ind./North H.S.
8   Chaudoin, Mary Setter   JR   6-3 Peachtree City, Ga./Starrs Mill
1   Cox, Caitlin Libero   JR   5-2 Springport, Ind./New Castle Chrysler
13   Enterline, Lindsay Outside Hitter   RS SO   6-0 Monroeville, Ind./Heritage
5   Granado, Whitney Setter   SO   5-9 Riverside, Calif./Woodcrest Christian
12   Hansen, Caitlin Defensive Specialist   FR   5-4 Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli
2   Haverly, Jordan Outside Hitter   SO   6-1 Cherry Valley, Ill./Rockford Keith Country Day
15   Henderson, Jade Outside Hitter   FR   5-10 Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy
7   Hicks, Melanie Defensive Specialist   FR   5-7 Louisville, Ky./Assumption
11   Marschall, Kelci Right-side Hitter   SO   6-2 New London, Ohio/Wooster
16   Matula, Laura Defensive Specialist   SO   5-6 Munster, Ind./Munster
3   Obeime, Ivie Outside Hitter   SO   5-9 Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory
20   Thrower, Samantha Middle Blocker   SO   6-2 Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore
9   Wittmer, Taylor Middle Blocker/Right-side   SR   6-1 Loogootee, Ind./Loogootee