UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Seven members of the No. 1 Penn State women’s volleyball team (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) garnered Big Ten postseason awards. Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) was tabbed the inaugural Big Ten Setter of the Year, freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) was honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and head coach Russ Rose earned Big Ten Coach of the Year laurels.
Scott, Hancock and juniors Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) were selected to the All-Big Ten Team. Scott and McClendon were unanimous selections by the league coaches. In addition, Courtney was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and senior Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) was Penn State’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
Penn State led the Big Ten with four All-Big Ten honorees, while Nebraska had three and both Minnesota and Michigan tallied two apiece. Sixteen players total were honored as All-Big Ten selections by the league coaches.
Scott picked up her second Big Ten postseason award after earning All-Big Ten First Team laurels in 2011. She is the seventh Nittany Lion to win the award in the last eight years. A 2012 Preseason All-Big Ten pick; she leads the team in kills with 399 averaging 3.69 kills per set, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten. Scott, who was named the Big Ten player of the Week on Nov. 5, started all 31 matches at opposite. She finished the regular season with a .303 hitting percentage and was third on the team in blocks with 87, averaging 0.81 per set. Scott, a 2011 AVCA Second Team All-American, has 21 double-digit kill matches and 26 multiple block matches heading into the postseason. She is approaching the 1,000 career kills milestone and currently has 960.
Hancock earned conference postseason honors for the second straight year after being named the 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. A Big Ten Player of the Week honoree and six-time Big Ten Setter of the Week selection, Hancock directed the Penn State offense to a .305 hitting percentage during the regular season. The hitting percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the nation. She has guided three of her primary hitters to a .303 hitting percentage or better and five of her primary hitters average 2.03 kills per set or more. Hancock, an AVCA National Player of the Week pick, leads the Big Ten and ranks 22nd nationally with 11.31 assists per set. She is also second in the Big Ten and fourth in the country with 0.55 aces per set. Hancock ranks third on the team in digs with 252, and also tallied 69 blocks and 111 kills.
McClendon earned her third Big Ten postseason award after being named first-team All-Big Ten as a freshman and a sophomore. She was also the 2010 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. A 2012 Preseason All-Big Ten honoree, she started all 31 matches at outside hitter for the Nittany Lions this season. McClendon is second on the team in kills with 348 and is averaging 3.25 kills per set. She also ranks second on the team in digs with 299 with 2.79 digs per set. She has led the team in kills 10 times and has posted 11 double-doubles this season. Earlier this season, McClendon surpassed the 1,000 career kills mark and has 1,198 for her career.
Slay, the 2011 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, earned her second Big Ten postseason award after earning First Team honors in 2011. The Preseason All-Big Ten pick was a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She leads the Nittany Lions with a .431 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. Slay also leads the team in blocks with 146 and blocks per set with 1.39. Her blocks per set leads the Big Ten and ranks 24th in the nation. She led the team in blocks 19 teams. Slay is third on the team in kills with 252 and has hit .320 or better in 24 of 30 matches player. Her 402 career blocks rank 14th all-time at Penn State.
Courtney is the 10th Nittany Lion to be named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the last 11 seasons and the 11th Penn State player all-time to receive the award. Courtney played in all 31 matches, starting 30, at outside hitter. She ranks fourth on the team in kills with 209, averaging 2.03 kills per set. A Big Ten Freshman of the Week, she is also fourth on the team in digs with 193, averaging 1.87 per set. Courtney has contributed 85 total blocks, including a team-best 25 solo.
Rose earned the 11th Big Ten Coach of the Year award and fifth in the last six years from the coaches. It is his seventh honor in the last eight years from the media. Rose guided the Nittany Lions to a 29-2 overall record and a 19-1 mark in the Big Ten. The team captured its ninth conference title in the last 10 years. He owns a career record of 1,087-174 and has coached the Nittany Lions to a 388-52 record in the Big Ten.
Penn State earned the No. 1 seed to the NCAA tournament and will host the First and Second Rounds on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. The Nittany Lions face Binghamton on Friday, at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall. Yale and Bowling Green play in the earlier match at 5 p.m. The winners of both matches will meet Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall.
ALL SESSION tickets for the First and Second rounds MUST be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or by calling 1-800-NITTANY beginning on Monday, Nov. 26 at 10 a.m. up until Friday, Nov. 30 at Noon. All session tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for youth and students and $8 for groups (20 or more). SINGLE SESSION tickets WILL ONLY be available at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday and are $8 for adults, $6 for youth and students and $5 for groups. The first 300 students with valid ID will be admitted for free.
The Penn State women’s volleyball team is on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us @PennStateVBALL and at www.facebook.com/pennstatewomensvolleyball.
