UCLA vs. Penn State (Click images for more info)
| Date (Time) | vs. | Site | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-12-14 7:00 p.m. ET |  |  KFC Yum! Center |   |
(Click this link or image below for NCAA Interactive Bracket)
OK, you can toss out the results of Penn State’s September 6th win over UCLA in straight sets (25-19, 27-25, 25-17). Or, if you’re going to look at past performances, look at the last NCAA Tournament matchup between these two teams — a straight set UCLA win in 2011 (25-20, 25-22, 25-21), which ended Penn State’s 26-match NCAA winning streak.
But only two players on UCLA’s roster played in that match: Zoë Nightingale (4K-0E-10TA, .400, 3B) and Karsta Lowe (1E-1TA in one set). And the Penn State players who were on Penn State’s roster for that match — 5-11 Sr. setter Micha Hancock, 6-2 Sr. MH Nia Grant, 6-4 RS Jr. Opp/RS Aiyana Whitney, 5-6 Sr. libero Dominique Gonzalez, and 5-6 Sr. DS Lacey Fuller — were all freshmen.
So let’s go to that tried-and-true test of which team is better (we kid) — comparative statistics.
Stat Joust
Attack Leaders: Penn State - UCLA
| Name | Team | SP | MP (MS) | K | K/S | E | TA | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe, Karsta | UCLA | 115 | 33 (33) | 681 | 5.92 | 245 | 1440 | .303 |
| Frantti, Ali | Penn State | 110 | 35 (35) | 360 | 3.27 | 100 | 811 | .321 |
| Buechler Reily | UCLA | 115 | 33 (24) | 336 | 2.92 | 146 | 887 | .214 |
| Whitney, Aiyana | Penn State | 102 | 35 (30) | 322 | 2.88 | 93 | 627 | .365 |
| Washington, Haleigh | Penn State | 65 | 22 (18) | 177 | 2.72 | 29 | 301 | .492 |
| Strantzali, Olga | UCLA | 79 | 28 (13) | 191 | 2.42 | 83 | 464 | .233 |
| Grant, Nia | Penn State | 111 | 35 (35) | 263 | 2.37 | 56 | 457 | .453 |
| Felix, Claire | UCLA | 99 | 31 (27) | 198 | 2.00 | 54 | 427 | .337 |
| Penn State | Penn State | 113 | 35 (35) | 1654 | 14.64 | 426 | 3463 | .355 |
| UCLA | UCLA | 118 | 33 (33) | 1778 | 15.07 | 676 | 4173 | .264 |
| Penn State Opp. | Penn State opp | 113 | 35 (35) | 1126 | 9.96 | 648 | 3409 | .140 |
| UCLA Opp. | UCLA Opp. | 118 | 33 (33) | 1434 | 12.15 | 572 | 3916 | .220 |
Serving Leaders: Penn State - UCLA
| Name | Team | SP | MP | SA | SA /S | SE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock, Micha | Penn State | 113 | 35 (35) | 119 | 1.05 | 95 |
| Lowe, Karsta | UCLA | 115 | 33 (33) | 32 | 0.28 | 62 |
| Gonzalez, Dominique | Penn State | 113 | 35 (0) | 25 | 0.22 | 41 |
| Frantti, Ali | Penn State | 110 | 35 (35) | 25 | 0.23 | 40 |
| Strantzali, Olga | UCLA | 79 | 28 (13) | 18 | 0.23 | 36 |
| Formico, Taylor | UCLA | 118 | 33 (0) | 16 | 0.14 | 20 |
| Penn State | Penn State | 113 | 35 (35) | 226 | 2.00 | 269 |
| UCLA | UCLA | 118 | 33 (33) | 127 | 1.08 | 217 |
| Penn State Opp | Penn State Opp | 113 | 35 (35) | 54 | 0.48 | 214 |
| UCLA Opp | UCLA Opp | 118 | 33 (33) | 119 | 1.01 | 190 |
Blocking/Points Leaders: Penn State - UCLA
| Name | Team | SP | BS | BA | TB | B/S | Pts | Pt /S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe, Karsta | UCLA | 115 | 7 | 68 | 75 | 0.65 | 754.0 | 6.56 |
| Frantti, Ali | Penn State | 110 | 10 | 45 | 55 | 0.50 | 417.5 | 3.80 |
| Washington, Haleigh | Penn State | 65 | 14 | 65 | 79 | 1.22 | 223.5 | 3.44 |
| Whitney, Aiyana | Penn State | 112 | 4 | 86 | 90 | 0.80 | 372.0 | 3.32 |
| Buechler, Reily | UCLA | 115 | 5 | 42 | 47 | 0.41 | 367.0 | 3.19 |
| Grant, Nia | Penn State | 111 | 14 | 110 | 124 | 1.12 | 348.0 | 3.14 |
| Strantzali, Olga | UCLA | 79 | 0 | 23 | 23 | 0.29 | 220.5 | 2.79 |
| Felix, Claire | UCLA | 99 | 11 | 66 | 77 | 0.78 | 242.0 | 2.44 |
| Penn State | Penn State | 113 | 64 | 474 | 301.0 | 2.66 | 2181.0 | 19.30 |
| UCLA | UCLA | 118 | 52 | 376 | 240.0 | 2.03 | 2145.0 | 18.18 |
| UCLA Opp. | UCLA Opp. | 118 | 70 | 521 | 330.5 | 2.80 | 1883.5 | 15.96 |
| Penn State Opp. | Penn State Opp. | 113 | 20 | 289 | 1164.5 | 1.46 | 1344.5 | 11.90 |