STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Dec. 5, 2002 - The Penn State women's volleyball team (24-7, 14-6 Big Ten) remains in the friendly confines of Rec Hall this weekend, hosting the first and second rounds of the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Temple (26-6, 11-1 Atlantic 10) and Manhattan (30-3, 8-1 MAAC) open play at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, with Penn State hosting Pennsylvania at 7:30 p.m. The winners of each match will then square off on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. The Penn State/Penn matchup can be heard on the radio on WMAJ 1450 AM or on the web at www.GoPSUsports.com. Should the Nittany Lions advance to the second round, that contest will also be broadcast on the radio and the internet.

In its last 136 matches at historic Rec Hall, Penn State holds an overall record of 129-7. Earning the right to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament 15 times since 1981, Penn State boasts a 24-1 record in postseason NCAA play at Rec Hall. Overall, the Nittany Lions are 37-20 in the NCAA Tournament through 22 seasons and are one of only four teams to make it to every event since its inception, along with Stanford, Pacific and UC Santa Barbara.

Penn State swept its final Big Ten weekend, defeating ninth-ranked and Big Ten champion Minnesota in three games (30-28, 30-25, 30-20) before sweeping Iowa (30-19, 30-14, 30-16) the next night to clinch second place in the league.

On Friday, Nov. 29, the Nittany Lions avenged a three-game pounding handed their way earlier in the season by the Gophers, defeating them in three games and giving Minnesota its first road loss of the season. It was also the second time in three matches the Gophers had lost by a 3-0 margin. Penn State junior middle hitter Cara Smith led all players with 16 kills on 27 attempts to hit .519 while senior Mishka Levy chipped in 14 kills. Sophomore Syndie Nadeau posted 12 digs to lead the Lions with freshman libero Kaleena Walters adding 11. Freshman setter Sam Tortorello dished out 47 assists in the win while Smith, Levy and junior Robyn Guokas all posted four blocks. Penn State outhit Minnesota .244 to .205, including limiting the Gophers to a .133 game-three hitting percentage. The Lions also held the advantage from behind the end line, posting five service aces, including three from junior Erin Iceman, to Minnesota's one.

Penn State dominated the following night against Iowa, limiting the Hawkeyes to a .000 hitting percentage, including two negative-percentage games. Both Nadeau and sophomore Ashley Pederson posted a match-high 13 kills while Walters recorded a career-high 17 digs. Smith led the blocking front with five put-backs and Tortorello dished out 43 assists in the win. Penn State tallied 20 more kills (50 to 30) and 19 more digs (53 to 36) while hitting .352 for the match.

As a team, the Nittany Lions are hitting .295 to lead the Big Ten. Penn State is averaging 15.91 kills per game and 3.24 blocks per game. Defensively, the Lions are picking up 13.66 digs per game while also recording 1.89 service aces per game. Tortorello is dishing out 12.43 assists per game to lead the offense and Smith continues to lead the conference in hitting percentage, tallying a .432 mark for the season which is also second-best in the nation.

Pennsylvania enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-4 overall record, led by junior outside hitter Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan with 3.76 kills per game. Five other Quaker players also average above 2.00 kill per game. Junior setter Meghan Schloat leads the team with 12.18 assists per game with senior libero Liz Watty pacing the squad with 3.87 digs per game. Junior Heather Janssen directs the blocking front with 0.99 blocks per game. As a squad, the Quakers are hitting .248 with 16.03 kills per game, 13.92 assists per game, 2.29 aces per game, 19.15 digs per game and 2.01 blocks per game. This is Penn's second all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. Penn State leads the all-time series with Pennsylvania, 5-0. The series began in 1977 and the last meeting was a three-game (15-0, 15-1, 15-9) Nittany Lion win on Nov. 2, 1985.

Manhattan enters the weekend with a 30-3 overall record. Junior Goedele 'Luka' Van Cauteren leads the team with 3.61 kills per game while senior Amy O'Dorisio adds 3.32 kills per game. Senior Bridgett Geddes directs the offense with 8.43 assists per game while O'Dorisio also leads the team with 4.19 digs per game. Freshman Marija 'Maggie' Pfeifer leads the blocking front with 0.96 blocks per game. As a team, Manhattan is hitting .229 with 13.96 assists per game, 2.66 aces per game, 17.27 digs per game and 2.17 blocks per game. This is the first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance for the Jaspers. This is the first meeting between the two schools in the sport of women's volleyball.

Temple holds a 26-6 overall mark led by junior Xu Yun with 4.42 kills per game. Four other Temple players also notch more than 2.00 kills per game. Sophomore Alison Runk directs the offense with 11.93 assists per game while five Owls tally more than 2.00 digs per game, led by junior Yamit Haba with 3.63 digs per game. Junior Charity Hill leads the blocking front with 0.79 blocks per game. As a team, Temple is hitting .238 with 16.37 kills per game, 15.01 assists per game, 1.67 aces per game, 17.80 digs per game and 1.98 blocks per game. This is the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Owls. Penn State leads the all-time series with the Owls, 13-3. The last meeting was a three-game (15-2, 15-3, 15-4) Nittany Lion win on Sept. 27, 1992.

All-session tickets for the first and second rounds will be available in advance until Friday, Dec. 6 at 5:00 p.m. Adult tickets are $10 and student, youth and senior citizens are $6. Those tickets can be obtained by calling 814-865-5555. Single match tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the match only, with adults at $7 and students, youth and senior citizens at $5. Students making a $10 purchase at Rapid Transit Sports, located at 115 South Allen St. in State College, will receive two all-session tickets, good for all three matches this weekend.

For complete Penn State women's volleyball statistics and match notes for the weekend, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.

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