VBALL Travels to #6 Penn State, #18 Ohio State
Nov 06 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 6, 2014 
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 6, 2014) - Following three consecutive home contests, the Rutgers women's volleyball team hits the road to take on No. 6 Penn State and No. 18 Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights make their first stop in State College, Pa. on Friday, Nov. 7 to take on the Nittany Lions before traveling to Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 8 to face the Buckeyes. Both matches are set to start at 7 p.m.
No. 6 Penn State - Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
No. 18 Ohio State - Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
Rutgers (7-18, 0-12 Big Ten) finished last weekend 0-2, dropping its matches to then-No. 14 Nebraska (3-0) and Iowa (3-1). In the match against the Cornhuskers, the Scarlet Knights registered its best showing against a ranked opponent, recording team-highs in kills (37), assists (35) and digs (47). RU then faced Iowa in a four set battle. After dropping the first two sets of the game, the Scarlet Knights went neck-and-neck with the Hawkeyes to claim a third set victory by a score of 27-25. Despite pushing the game to a fourth set, the Scarlet Knights were unable to top Iowa.
Sophomore middle Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) led the squad with a total of 21 kills on the weekend, averaging three kills per set. On the defensive side, junior libero Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) tallied 40 digs across both matches. Schroeter sits at fifth in the Big Ten with 4.39 digs per set.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
No. 6 Penn State (22-3, 10-2 Big Ten) ranks second in Big Ten standings behind No. 4 Wisconsin. The reigning NCAA champions are on a six-game win streak, in which they have swept their opponents in the last five outings. PSU found its two blemishes in conference action against then-No. 8 Nebraska and then-No. 15 Illinois.
Freshman middle Haleigh Washington earned Big Ten Player of the Week accolades after posting a team-high .444 hitting percentage in PSU's 2-0 weekend against Ohio State.
Senior setter Micha Hancock paces the squad with 939 assists, ranking third in the conference with 11.31 put ups per set. Hancock ranks first in the nation in aces per set (1) and total service aces (83).
Head coach Russ Rose is in his 36th season at the helm of the program. Rose has led the Nittany Lions to six NCAA titles, including five in the last seven years.
SERIES VS. PENN STATE
PSU holds a 26-6 advantage in the all-time series. The squads last met at the 2011 Penn State Hampton Inn Classic, in which the Nittany Lions came out with a three-set win.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
No. 18 Ohio State (16-8, 7-5 Big Ten) suffered two losses in both outings against Penn State last week. Friday night's match against the Nittany Lions marked the Buckeye's first home loss of the season, crushing a seven match win streak at St. John Arena.
Senior outside Erin Sekinger leads the Buckeye offense, averaging 3.08 kills per set. Senior setter Taylor Sherwin has notched a team-best 886 assists this season. Defensively, sophomore libero Valeria Leon has registered a team-high 332 digs, recording 3.53 digs per set.
OSU is led by seventh-year head coach Geoff Carlston.
SERIES VS. OHIO STATE
Rutgers and Ohio State are tied 1-1 in the all-time series. The first meeting took place in 1979, when the Buckeyes earned a four-set win. The squads met again in 1981 with Rutgers coming out victorious in the match.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's volleyball, follow the program on Twitter @RUvball.
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