Nittany Digs: Floyd of Rosedale Edition

Is it sad that a pig makes a better trophy
than the Land Grant Monstrosity that
PSU and MSU have to play for?

Penn State downed Iowa and No. 19 Minnesota last week. On the gridiron, the Gophers and Hawkeyes play for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, giving this edition of Nittany Digs its theme for the week.

The Nittany Lions are now 14-4 overall, which on paper looks like a complete train wreck of a season for what this program has been used to the last few seasons. But Penn State is still in the very thick of the Big Ten title race this season, and already in position for a decent seed in the NCAA tournament. Yes, it's early to start thinking about the postseason, but the regular season is already halfway done.

Here's the lowdown on last week's action.

Back on Track

No. 9 Penn State vs No. 19 Minnesota - W, 3-1 (25-22, 25-14, 21-25, 25-16)

Penn State is now 35-7 all-time against the Gophers (14-5, 4-3 Big Ten).

Freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) led Penn State (14-4, 4-3 Big Ten) with 17 kills, while senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) was second on the team with 16. Freshman Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) tallied nine kills in her collegiate debut, as did senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.). Sophomore setter Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) dished out 50 assists to pace the Nittany Lions offense. Senior libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) and Brown each posted 18 digs to lead the team, while senior Cathy Quilico (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) contributed 12. Wilson and McClendon each had a team-high four blocks.

No. 9 Penn State vs Iowa - W, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-19)

Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) led all players with 15 kills and senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) finished second on the team with 13 on a match-high .650 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) recorded 34 assists and was one of two players on the team with 10 digs. Senior libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) tallied 10 digs and Wilson led the Nittany Lions with five total blocks.

Penn State registered a .310 attack percentage and held the Hawkeyes (6-11, 1-7 Big Ten) to .096. The Nittany Lions totaled 41 kills, 48 digs and 7.0 team blocks, while Iowa posted 34 kills, two aces, 44 digs and 4.0 team blocks.

In the Polls

Penn State held its No. 9 spot in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week.

What's Next?

The Nittany Lions (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) are back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at Ohio State at 7 p.m. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State will continue its two-match road trip by visiting Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 23.

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