Penn State vs. Hawaii: Russ Rose on the Wahine; Frantti and Weiskircher Meet the Press; Stat Joust; more

Posted on by Nyline
TeamOpponentDate
(Time)		Media
Penn StateuntitledHawaii
untitled		12-11-15
(8:30 p.m.
ET)		untitled

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Live Audio

 

The last time #7-seeded Penn State (28-5) faced Hawaii (28-1) was in the 2009 NCAA national semifinals.  Penn State, which was 36-0 going into that match, downed then-# 12 Hawai’i (32-3) in four sets (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-18), moving on to the epic match against Texas, where it won its third consecutive NCAA Championship.  That match featured Penn State players such as Sr. OH Megan Hodge, Jr. MB Arielle Wilson and Jr. RS/Opp Blair Brown, and Sr. setter Alisha Glass.

Aiyana Whitney
Aiyana Whitney

It’s a different cast of characters for Penn State this time around.  6-4 RS Sr. RS/MB Aiyana Whitney leads the team with 3.11 kills/set, reaching double digits for kills in nine of the Nittany Lions’ last 11 matches. 6-3 So. MB Haleigh Washington is averaging 1.40 blocks/set (2nd in the B1G, 20th nationally), and is hitting .443 — 1st in the B1G and 3rd nationally.  6-2 Sr. OH Megan Courtney has averaged 3.04 kills/set.  Whitney, Washington and Courtney all earned 1st Team All Big Ten recognition (Washington was a unanimous choice). Senior libero Kendall Pierce was named Penn State’s sportsmanship honoree.

 

 

 

 

 

Russ Rose
Russ Rose

In the NCAA Regional press conference, Penn State head coach Russ Rose noted that this year’s Hawaii team is built differently than the 2009 Hawaii squad:

We look forward to playing against a great opponent in Hawaii.  We’ve played against each other a number of times over the years.  Their performance last weekend coming back to beat TCU, and then being able to beat the SEC Champion, Texas A&M 3-0 on their home court, was a clear indication they’re playing great volleyball this time of year.

We’ve gone and played in Hawaii three times.  [Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji] is a great coach.  It’s a terrific program . . . . I don’t look at it as me against Dave.  We’ve known each other for a long time.  We’ll want to beat each other during the match, and whoever wins will wish the other good luck, and in that conversation actually mean it.

How they used to play is a little bit different [from this year’s team.]  They’ve got great size now.  The middles [6-1 Sr. Olivia Magill, and 6-3 So. Emily Maglio] are big , they’ve got a great right-side player [6-3 So. OH Nikki Taylor, Hawaii’s go-to player], and their two left-side players [6-2 So. OH Kalei Greeley and 6-0 Sr. OH Tai Manu-Olevao] are real good ball handlers.  Really the libero [5-8 So. Savanah Kahakai], would probably be the closest to the type of player that Dave had.   He may not think that, and maybe I’m just thinking that from 30 years ago . . .  40 years ago.  So it’s 40 years ago [wry grin.]

Below is the complete interview (which includes comments by Bryanna Weiskircher and Ali Frantti):

Jousting Two KnightsStat Joust

Below are the season-to-date statistics for Hawaii and Penn State.  Quick comparisons:

  • Hawaii is hitting .289 as a team (compared to .297 for Penn State)
  • Hawaii’s opponents have hit .152 (compared to .155 for Penn State’s opponents)
  • Hawaii is averaging 3.17 blocks/set (compared to 3.11 blocks/set for Penn State)
  • Hawaii’s opponents are averaging 2.00 blocks/set (compared to 1.63 blocks/set for Penn State’s opponents).

Not alot of statistical separation between the two teams.

Hawaii Stats

   ATTACK  SET  SERVE 
##  Player  SP  MP-MS  K  K/Set  E  TA  Pct  A  A/Set  TA  Pct  SA  SA/Set  SE  TA  Pct 
14 Taylor, Nikki 98 28-28 427 4.36 163 973 .271 19 0.19 66 .288 42 0.43 57 369 .846
9 Magill, Olivia 99 29-29 265 2.68 39 545 .415 4 0.04 32 .125 0 0.00 0 2 1.000
10 Manu-Olevao, Tai 99 29-27 255 2.58 112 646 .221 22 0.22 96 .229 17 0.17 26 349 .926
11 Greeley, Kalei 92 27-27 204 2.22 53 567 .266 9 0.10 60 .150 16 0.17 22 272 .919
19 Maglio, Emily 86 28-27 171 1.99 40 332 .395 3 0.03 13 .231 0 0.00 0 1 1.000
3 Granato, McKenna 50 24-4 27 0.54 16 107 .103 7 0.14 26 .269 15 0.30 19 138 .862
7 Higgins, Tayler 85 25-24 25 0.29 12 57 .228 864 10.16 1980 .436 26 0.31 47 355 .868
2 Koelsch, Kendra 87 29-5 23 0.26 10 51 .255 315 3.62 717 .439 2 0.02 2 98 .980
15 Kahakai, Savanah 100 29-0 2 0.02 1 7 .143 82 0.82 302 .272 14 0.14 23 397 .942
4 Anderson, Clare 79 29-0 0 0.00 0 1 .000 10 0.13 26 .385 12 0.15 3 298 .990
  HAWAII………….. 102 29-29 1461 14.32 466 3446 .289 1343 13.17 3339 .402 150 1.47 213 2414 .912
Opponents……….. 102 29-29 1111 10.89 594 3409 .152 1032 10.12 3372 .306 91 0.89 199 1960 .898

 

   RECEPT  DIG  BLOCKING     POINTS 
##  Player  SP  RE  TA  Pct  Dig  Dig/Set  BS  BA  Total  Blk/Set  BE  BHE  Points  Pts/Set 
14 Taylor, Nikki 98 2 40 .950 203 2.07 11 101 112 1.14 7 0 530.5 5.41
9 Magill, Olivia 99 0 7 1.000 25 0.25 18 130 148 1.49 11 0 348.0 3.52
10 Manu-Olevao, Tai 99 38 565 .933 180 1.82 13 34 47 0.47 3 1 302.0 3.05
11 Greeley, Kalei 92 16 438 .963 198 2.15 5 40 45 0.49 8 1 245.0 2.66
19 Maglio, Emily 86 3 10 .700 21 0.24 6 96 102 1.19 7 1 225.0 2.62
8 Mitchem, Annie 37 0 1 1.000 15 0.41 2 31 33 0.89 3 0 70.5 1.91
3 Granato, McKenna 50 5 133 .962 57 1.14 0 7 7 0.14 1 0 45.5 0.91
7 Higgins, Tayler 85 0 2 1.000 186 2.19 3 32 35 0.41 8 8 70.0 0.82
2 Koelsch, Kendra 87 0 1 1.000 54 0.62 4 47 51 0.59 2 3 52.5 0.60
5 Huff, Megan 10 0 0 .000 2 0.20 0 1 1 0.10 0 0 7.5 0.75
15 Kahakai, Savanah 100 12 500 .976 396 3.96 0 0 0 0.00 0 3 16.0 0.16
4 Anderson, Clare 79 1 18 .944 60 0.76 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 12.0 0.15
  TEAM   8                        
  HAWAII………….. 102 90 1756 .949 1418 13.90 62 523 323.5 3.17 50 17 1934.5 18.97
Opponents……….. 102 150 2201 .932 1304 12.78 42 325 204.5 2.00 33 18 1406.5 13.79

Penn State Stats

   ATTACK  SET  SERVE 
##  Player  SP  MP-MS  K  K/Set  E  TA  Pct  A  A/Set  TA  Pct  SA  SA/Set  SE  TA  Pct 
15 Washington, Haleigh 112 33-33 293 2.62 57 533 .443 4 0.04 40 .100 26 0.23 54 353 .847
14 Whitney, Aiyana 112 33-32 348 3.11 88 731 .356 7 0.06 36 .194 0 0.00 0 1 1.000
19 Thelen, Heidi 62 23-15 41 0.66 13 92 .304 8 0.13 19 .421 0 0.00 0 0 .000
21 Weiskircher, Bryanna 112 33-32 66 0.59 23 161 .267 1206 10.77 2515 .480 39 0.35 36 506 .929
22 Lee, Simone 83 30-18 153 1.84 58 374 .254 2 0.02 23 .087 7 0.08 12 82 .854
5 Frantti, Ali 112 33-33 296 2.64 106 773 .246 19 0.17 126 .151 10 0.09 17 291 .942
17 Courtney, Megan 98 29-29 298 3.04 89 867 .241 45 0.46 184 .245 9 0.09 11 246 .955
12 Holcomb, Keeton 99 31-0 1 0.01 1 3 .000 70 0.71 280 .250 6 0.06 11 354 .969
4 Rivera, Wilma 50 20-2 0 0.00 0 1 .000 27 0.54 83 .325 6 0.12 15 129 .884
8 Pierce, Lainy 48 21-0 0 0.00 0 2 .000 0 0.00 6 .000 3 0.06 5 113 .956
3 Pierce, Kendall 97 33-0 0 0.00 2 3 -.667 18 0.19 124 .145 8 0.08 4 255 .984
  PENN STATE………. 112 33-33 1516 13.54 448 3598 .297 1412 12.61 3463 .408 125 1.12 181 2628 .931
Opponents……….. 112 33-33 1311 11.71 721 3811 .155 1242 11.09 3782 .328 89 0.79 226 2101 .892
   RECEPT  DIG  BLOCKING     POINTS 
##  Player  SP  RE  TA  Pct  Dig  Dig/Set  BS  BA  Total  Blk/Set  BE  BHE  Points  Pts/Set 
15 Washington, Haleigh 112 0 14 1.000 65 0.58 24 133 157 1.40 15 2 409.5 3.66
14 Whitney, Aiyana 112 1 14 .929 30 0.27 15 111 126 1.12 11 1 418.5 3.74
19 Thelen, Heidi 62 0 6 1.000 11 0.18 7 58 65 1.05 9 1 77.0 1.24
21 Weiskircher, Bryanna 112 3 6 .500 254 2.27 2 66 68 0.61 15 10 140.0 1.25
22 Lee, Simone 83 0 11 1.000 38 0.46 5 48 53 0.64 3 2 189.0 2.28
5 Frantti, Ali 112 25 487 .949 208 1.86 11 43 54 0.48 7 1 338.5 3.02
17 Courtney, Megan 98 14 350 .960 297 3.03 23 58 81 0.83 5 2 359.0 3.66
8 Pierce, Lainy 48 1 3 .667 18 0.38 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 3.0 0.06
4 Rivera, Wilma 50 0 0 .000 78 1.56 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 6.0 0.12
12 Holcomb, Keeton 99 32 628 .949 309 3.12 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 7.0 0.07
13 Krause, Taylor 53 0 0 .000 49 0.92 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 8.0 0.15
3 Pierce, Kendall 97 9 338 .973 151 1.56 0 0 0 0.00 0 1 8.0 0.08
  TEAM   4                        
  PENN STATE………. 112 89 1871 .952 1548 13.82 87 523 348.5 3.11 68 20 1989.5 17.76
Opponents……….. 112 125 2439 .949 1448 12.93 28 309 182.5 1.63 67 33 1582.5 14.13

Quick Look at Hawaii

On December 6th, we posted a quick look at Hawaii, by psumaui (a Penn State fan who lives in Hawaii and has seen the Wahine play many times this season).  Obviously, if you’re a Penn State coach, or a Hawaii fan, you probably know all of this.  But for those of you who aren’t, and didn’t see the original post, we thought we’d post it again:

By psumaui

On to Iowa to face the Wahine! This is going to be a tough match, but based on watching both teams all season, I think this is one that Penn State should win. I’ve identified eight things I believe Penn State should keep in mind for the match:

1. Penn State Needs to Terminate Quickly

The Wahine are a very scrappy bunch, which makes it important for the Nittany Lions to terminate fast. Hawaii does very well in long rallies.

Taylor_Nikki14_3243
Nikki Taylor

2. Stick to Nikki

6-3 So. OH Nikki Taylor is Hawaii’s go-to player and has a tough jump serve (she was second on team with 19 aces). She likes to tip balls over block, but also has good tight-to-the-net cross court and down-the-line shots. Another one of her specialties is hitting from behind 10-foot line, so a good double or triple block would help to force her out of her game in that area. Bottom line: the Nittany Lions need to be really on their toes in the back court on Friday, because Nikki Taylor can hit hard from anywhere on the court.

3. But Don’t Forget Greeley, Magill, Maglio or Manu-Olevao

Even though Nikki Taylor is their go-to player, the Wahine are adept at spreading the wealth among 6-2 So. OH Kalei Greeley and both MB’s — 6-1 Sr. Olivia Magill, and 6-3 So. Emily Maglio. Both of these MB’s are good at hanging in air until opponents block comes down and then directing(tapping) the ball over the blockers in front of the 10-foot line. When Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji brings in 6-0 Sr. OH Tai Manu-Olevao, she can get hot serving(had 22 aces).

4. Serve Tough — Get the Wahine to Force Plays

Speaking of serving, I think serving tough is particularly important for Penn State. When Hawaii gets out of system, they have a tendency to try to force plays. For example, Hawaii had 29 hitting errors against TCU in round 1; 14 of those were committed by Nikki Taylor. I think the TCU match would be a good video to watch when scouting them for Friday’s match as well as the Texas A&M match. In my opinion, Texas A&M lost their match due to allowing Hawaii to control tight balls at the net.

5. Make Them Work for Points

Another key is not to give Hawaii free balls and to limit unforced errors. That’s true for any opponent, but even more so against the Wahine. Make them earn every point. This team is not a team we want to get in a hole with. When facing Hawaii, you need to start out fast and keep the hammer down until the last point.

6. Block Around the Clock

This year’s edition of the Wahine has much better size than previous teams, and blocks well. Another key to a Penn State win on Friday is for the Nittany Lions to throw a block party (and out block the Wahine).

7. Set Whitney High, Set Washington on the Slide

Bryanna Weiskircher needs to set Aiyana Whitney so that she can hit over the block. Bryanna should also be setting Washington on the slide as much as she can: Hawaii seems to have problems with the slide, so I think this would be really be effective. Hawaii is very good at controlling the net, and if the Nittany Lions are to win, they will need to win the battles at the net and kill short overpasses. To keep Hawaii guessing, Bryanna should go to the setter dump, which will hold Hawaii’s MBs long enough for her to set for one-on-one match-ups to her outsides.

8. No Ball Left Behind

Hawaii is scrappy? Penn State needs to be even scrappier. The Nittany Lions need to stay focused from start to finish, with the mentality that NO ball hits the floor on our side of the court!