Nittany Digs: Consecutive losses? Really?!

Penn State football is... um... well...... anyway, we still have Penn State women's volleyball to cheer us up, right?

This just isn't a good year for Penn State fall sports. That's not to say all the fall teams are doing poorly, but the two flagship fall programs--football and women's volleyball--aren't exactly living up to the lofty standards set the last few seasons.

The Nittany Lions just lost two consecutive matches for the first time since Joe Paterno was a toddler. Adding insult to injury, INdiana was one of the victorious teams. You know how long it's been since Indiana women's volleyball beat Penn State? SINCE NEVER. This was the Hoosiers' first win over Penn State, bringing the series record to 40-1.

Arielle Wilson
(Photo: GoPSUSports.com)

Good News

Arielle Wilson up for CLASS Award

Senior middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) has been selected as a finalist for the inaugural Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for women's volleyball. Wilson is one of three Big Ten women's volleyball players among the 10 finalists for the award that recognizes athletes with notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans can vote EVERY DAY for Wilson here. Fan voting continues until Nov. 23 and counts 1/3 towards the final total. These votes will be combined with ballots from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.

Bad News

No. 4 Penn State at Purdue - L, 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 16-25, 18-25, 11-15)

Freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led all players with a career-high 20 kills and was third on the team with 11 digs. Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) was second on the team with 15 kills and 14 digs. Senior libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) led Penn State with 19 digs. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) dished out 50 assists and tied for first on the team with junior Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.) with three blocks each.

Penn State registered a .155 attack percentage against Purdue. The Nittany Lions totaled 58 kills, three aces, 71 digs and 10.0 total team blocks. Purdue finished the night with a .218 attack percentage and posted 60 kills, three aces, 79 digs and 13.0 team blocks.

No. 4 Penn State at Indiana - L, 3-1 (19-25, 25-27, 25-28, 24-26)

This was Indiana's first win against Penn State in the series history. Penn State holds a 40-1 record against the Hoosiers dating back to 1982.

Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) led the Nittany Lions with 16 kills, while freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) posted 14 and senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) tallied 15. Sophomore setter Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) dished out 50 assists and led the team with 13 digs. Wilson posted a match-high seven blocks against the Hoosiers.

The Nittany Lions registered a .313 attack percentage, while the Hoosiers only hit .254. Penn State finished the night with 61 kills, one ace, 45 digs and 12.0 total team blocks. Indiana registered 53 kills, seven aces, 46 digs and 9.0 team blocks.

In the Polls

Penn State is in serious danger of falling out of the top ten in the AVCA Coaches' Poll, as the Nittany Lions sit at No. 9 in the Oct. 11 rankings.

What's Next?

Nittany Lions return home to host Minnesota and Iowa on Oct. 15-16. Penn State's match with Minnesota will air on ESPN2 via tape-delay on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m.

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