University Park, Pa. — Three members of the Penn State women’s volleyball team were honored by the Big Ten on Monday. Senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) was named the Big Ten Player of the week, senior Alyssa D’Errico (Byron, N.Y.) was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the week and freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) was selected Co-Freshman of the Week. McClendon shares the honor with Michigan State’s Alexis Mathews.
The trio led Penn State to two straight set wins last week against Ohio State and No. 25 Northwestern to improve to 15-3 in league play and 25-4 overall. This is the third weekly honor this season for Brown and the fourth of her career, while it’s the first honor for D’Errico’s career and the fifth this season for McClendon.
Brown led the Nittany Lions against the Buckeyes with a match-high 19 kills on .621 hitting. She had just one error in 29 attempts. She was also second on the team with 11 digs and put up three blocks. She followed that performance with a match-high 16 kills against the Wildcats. She finished second on the team with 10 digs and also recorded two blocks and one ace. For the week, Brown led the team with 35 kills, averaging 5.83 kills per set on .418 hitting. She was second on the squad with 21 digs, averaging 3.50 digs per set.
D’Errico was once again a leader in the back row for the Nittany Lions playing all six sets and posting 33 digs (5.50 digs per set). She also had a team-best three aces with zero reception errors in 43 attempts. Against the Buckeyes, D’Errico had a match-high 15 digs and two aces, while her passing guided Penn State to a .356 attack percentage. Against Northwestern, D’Errico had a match-high 18 digs, while also tallying an ace.
McClendon finished last week second on the team with 21 kills, averaging 3.50 kills per set on .341 hitting. She contributed 10 digs, three blocks and an ace. Versus Ohio State, McClendon put down six kills and registered six digs, one block and an ace. Against the Wildcats, McClendon was second on the team with 15 kills on .520 hitting. She also posted four digs and two blocks.
What’s Next?
Penn State is back in action on Friday, Nov. 26 at Iowa in a 2 p.m. matchup with the Hawkeyes. The Nittany Lions take on Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 9:30 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
For more information on the Penn State women’s volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women’s volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.
