Photo by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, Wikipedia Commons
The Match: Penn State (13-2; 3-1 Big Ten) vs. Purdue (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten)
Where and When: West Lafayette, IN., 7:00 p.m. E.T.
Media Coverage: Game Tracker; Streamed live at video.bigtennetwork.com
Match Snapshot:
The Nittany Lions will be taking on a Purdue team that is playing at home for the first time since September 11th. With six starters returning from its 2009 squad (and a total of 10 returning players), Purdue is experienced and talented. The best player for the Boilermakers may be 6-1 So. OH Ariel Turner , who is ranked first in the Big Ten with 4.64 kills/set, along with 2.08 digs/set and 0.83 blocks/set. Purdue also counts heavily on 6-2 Jr. OH Tiffany Fisher , who has averaged 2.62 kills/set and 1.21 blocks/set to date, and has an impressive .357 attack %. Other key players for the Boilermakers are 6-2 RS Fr. OH Catherine Rebarchak (2.21 kills/set), 6-2 RS Fr. OH Katie Griffin (1.73 kills/set) and 6-3 So. MB Anna Drewry (1.65 kills/set and 0.81 blocks/set).
In the backrow, 5-6 So. DS Carly Cramer has averaged 4.40 digs/set, followed by 5-9 Jr. DS Emily Ehlers (3.21 digs/set), amd 5-10 RS Jr. DS Blair Bashen (2.66 digs/set, 11 aces). Setter Jaclyn Hart adds 1.71 digs/set and 10.84 assists/set.
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 Boilermakers, followed by a statistical comparison of the two teams and their plaers:
Purdue
| No. | Name | Class | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown/High School/Previous College |
| 1 | Davis, Rachel | RS FR | S | 6-0 | Kalamazoo, Mich./Plainwell |
| 3 | Fox, Hilliary | FR | MB/OH | 6-1 | Montgomery, Ind./Barr Reeve |
| 5 | Hart, Jaclyn | SR | S | 6-1 | Palos Hills, Ill./Stagg |
| 6 | Ehlers, Emily | JR | DS | 5-9 | Mishawaka, Ind./Penn |
| 8 | Turner, Ariel | SO | OH | 6-1 | Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista |
| 9 | Miller, Amanda | JR | DS | 5-7 | Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Mission Viejo |
| 10 | Griffin, Katie | RS FR | OH | 6-2 | Avon, Ind./Avon |
| 11 | Cramer, Carly | SO | DS | 5-6 | Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville |
| 13 | Perri, Elena | FR | OH | 6-0 | Richland, Mich./Gull Lake |
| 14 | Bashen, Blair | RS JR | DS | 5-10 | Houston, Texas/St. John’s |
| 15 | Gosewisch, Courtney | SO | DS | 5-8 | Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South |
| 16 | Arthurs, Kristen | SR | MB | 6-3 | Newport, Mich./St. Mary’s Catholic Central |
| 17 | Rebarchak, Catherine | RS FR | MB/OH | 6-2 | Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s Episcopal |
| 18 | Fisher, Tiffany | JR | MB/OH | 6-2 | Topeka, Ind./Westview |
| 20 | Drewry, Anna | SO | MB | 6-3 | San Antonio, Texas/Tom C. Clark |
Penn State
| Number | Name | Position | Year/ Class | Height | HS (Club) | State/ Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Scott, Ariel  | Opp/OH | 1/Fr. | 6-04 | Immaculate Heart Academy (Team Complete Athlete) | NJ |
| 02 | Kabbes, Katie  | OH | 3/Jr. | 6-05 | Cardinal Gibbons (Triangle Volleyball) | NC |
| 03 | Balza, Fatima  | MH | 4/Sr. | 6-03 | Liceo Caracas | VE |
| 04 | Ullrich, Jessica  | DS | 4/Sr. | 5-08 | Wheaton North (1st Alliance) | IL |
| 05 | Carpenter, Kristin  | S/DS | 2/So. | 5-06 | Hanover (Richmond Volleyball Club) | VA |
| 06 | Martin, Maddie  | OH | 1/Fr. | 6-02 | H.B. Plant (Tampa Bay Juniors) | FL |
| 07 | Wilson, Arielle  | MH | 4/Sr. | 6-03 | Proviso East (1st Alliance) | IL |
| 08 | Denney, Erica  | MH | 1/Fr. | 6-05 | Grandview (Front Range Volleyball Club) | CO |
| 09 | Brown, Blair  | Opp | 4/RS Sr. | 6-05 | Loudoun Valley (Renaissance) | VA |
| 10 | Racibarskas, Marika  | S | 2/So. | 6-00 | Chatham (Team Complete Athlete) | NJ |
| 11 | Dorton, Darcy  | OH | 2/So. | 6-02 | Delta (Munciana) | IN |
| 12 | D'Errico, Alyssa  | L | 4/Sr. | 5-09 | Byron-Bergen (VolleyFx Magic) | NY |
| 13 | Shifflett, Megan  | DS/S | 3/Jr. | 5-06 | Langley VA Elite | VA |
| 14 | Quilico, Cathy  | DS | 4/Sr. | 5-01 | Westlake (Gene's Team) | CA |
| 15 | Harding, Maggie  | DS | 1/Fr. | 5-06 | State College Area | PA |
| 16 | Slay, Katie  | MH | 1/Fr. | 6-06 | Raleigh (Triangle Volleyball Club) | NC |
| 18 | McClendon, Deja  | OH | 1/Fr. | 6-01 | Dupont Manual Magnet (KIVA) | KY |
| 19 | Pabst, Krosby  | DS | 1/Fr. | 5-07 | Woodrow Wilson (Mizuno Long Beach) | CA |
| 22 | Moydell, Mikinzie  | S | 1/Fr. | 6-00 | Chaparral (Front Range Volleyball Club) | CO |
| 23 | Longo, Ali  | DS | 1/Fr. | 5-06 | Chatfield (Juggernaut Volleyball) | CO |
