State College, Pa., July 20, 2000 - Penn State was selected as the Big Ten volleyball preseason favorite in a vote by the conference's head coaches. The Nittany Lions, who captured the 1999 NCAA Title and have either won or shared each of the last four Big Ten titles, received a total of 117 points in the voting followed by Minnesota (109 points) and Wisconsin (96).

The Lions placed a total of three players on the 2000 Preseason All-Big Ten Volleyball Team, tying for the most overall selections with Michigan State. Junior outside hitter Katie Schumacher (Chicago, Ill.) was one of three unanimous all-conference choices along with Minnesota's Nicole Branagh and Illinois' Betsy Spicer. Sophomore middle blocker Mishka Levy (Stafford, Texas) and junior outside hitter Amanda Rome (Chaska, Minn.) rounded out Penn State's preseason all-conference picks.

Schumacher is the Lions' leading returner in kills per game(3.17). Levy ranked second on the team last season with 1.21 blocks and Rome led the squad with 3.19 digs per game.

Others on the preseason all-conference squad included Michigan State's Christie Landry, Erin Hartley and Jessica Sanborn, Wisconsin's Jenny Maastricht and Sherisa Livingston, Illinois' Spicer and Shadia Haddad, Minnesota's Branagh and Lindsey Berg and Ohio State's Katie Virtue.

Penn State opens its 2000 schedule and defense of the NCAA title against UCLA on August 25 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, when it travels to Gainesville, Fla., to compete in the prestigious NACWAA State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic. The Lions begin Big Ten action on September 22 at Wisconsin.