The Daily Collegian has Five Things to Watch
www.collegian.psu.edu/sports/women_volleyball/article_4868367a-7bb2-11e7-ab7b-471c36af31ca.htmlFive things to watch during Penn State women’s volleyball 2017 season
Gabrielle Barone | The Daily Collegian
Aug 8, 2017
As Penn State gears up for coach Russ Rose’s 39th season, here are five things to look forward to in the 2017 season.
A dominating season
Although it won the NCAA Championship title in 2014, Penn State has endured a string of stable, but not exceptional seasons.
The Nittany Lions ended the 2016 season in the regional final after a narrow 3-2 loss to Nebraska, finishing with a No. 13 ranking and a record of 22-9. The team finished similarly in the 2015 season, again with its season ending in the regional final with a loss to Hawaii.
However, due to the quality and quantity of returning talent and their hunger to bring home another title, it’s reasonable to expect the 2017 season will deliver postseason play and legitimate hopes for a national championship.
Challenging matchups
As with every year, the Nittany Lions’ 2017 schedule is packed with solid and hard-hitting opponents from start to finish.
On Sept. 1, Penn State will face off against defending 2016 NCAA champions Stanford, who finished last season with a 21-7 record, in the Texas A&M Tournament in College Station, Texas, and — between Nov. 24 and 25 — will finish the regular season with respective matches against No. 3 Wisconsin (25-4) and No. 1 Minnesota (record 25-4).
Senior leaders
This fall, Penn State return a large number of seniors, including outside hitters Simone Lee and Ali Frantti, middle blocker Haleigh Washington, setter Abby Detering, defense setter Lainy Pierce and then-middle blocker Heidi Thelen.
In her junior season, Lee was named AVCA First Team All-American and won a multitude of other honors — including ESPNW National Player of the Week. Lee started all 34 matches and led the team with 503 kills — a number which ranks fourth all-time during a single season in the 25-point scoring setup.
Washington, also the recipient of many awards and honors during her junior campaign, posted 291 kills and a team-high 140 blocks.
New talent
As the seniors’ time on the court dwindles, more and more underclassmen will be given opportunities to play, including right side Cami May and outside hitter Michaela Putnicki.
May was named a volleyballmag.com Top 50 Underclassman to Watch during her time at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas. May was also a three-time “AVCA Phenom” from 2013-2015, and was named one of Prep Volleyball’s Top 50 Juniors to Watch.
Similarly, Putnicki — a product of Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, Colorado — was named the Colorado Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016 and was named to the 2016 Under Armour All-American Third Team. She was also named Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 2017.
Other returning standouts
Junior defense specialist Keeton Holcomb, redshirt junior setter Bryanna Weiskircher, sophomore libero Kendall White, and sophomore middle blocker Tori Gorrell are just a handful of returning players who can supplement the talent of the senior class.
Last season, Holcomb played in all 34 matches, recording 186 digs, while Weiskircher saw playing time in 25 matches and logged 231 assists. Gorrell returns as well after playing all 34 games and posting 201 kills after playing in every set.
A rising sophomore, White returns to the court after posting 500 digs and playing in 34 games last season. Due to her performance, White was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
