THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Kelsey Moms/Collegian Lions' coach Russ Rose (back, right) talks to the team during a match. Lions looking to move on from losses By Ryan Loy COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER For the first time in nearly eight years, the Penn State women's volleyball team is trying to rebound - -- after losing con- WOMEN'S secutive matches. VOLLEYBALL The No. 9 Nittany Lions (13- 4, 3-3 Big Ten) suffered setbacks at Purdue and Indiana last weekend, but the team knows it can't dwell on those losses. Coach Russ Rose and several players said there's no use in focusing on the past, and they can't go back in time to change the outcomes. The Lions are focusing on improving the aspects of their per formance it can control one of those being their attitude. "I thought Purdue competed a little harder than we did in the last three games," Rose said. "When you have opportunities to score points and make plays, you need to have a sense of urgency. I don't think we were necessarily good at that this weekend." After beginning the season 7-0, the Lions have gone just 6-4 in the last 10 matches. While two of those losses were to top 10 teams in No. 2 Stanford and No. 8 Illinois, the last two defeats came to unranked oppo nents. Sophomore setter Kristin Carpenter said nothing had to be discussed among the team follow ing the losses to Purdue and Indiana. Each player knows it's THE PAPER PIA* Brand sem Dining Guide powered by StateConege.cort Order today! Out - - t PSUColleglan.com and to our new dining, guide time to pick up the tempo. "It was a rough weekend, but there's no better time to step up our game than right now," Carpenter said. "It kind of stinks that we're deciding this now, to step our game up, but we need to do it. The time is now" Though the regular season is now past the halfway point, senior libero Alyssa D'Errico said the Lions are still working at building chemistry among the players on the court. It's been tough to form a cohe sive unit because players are reg ularly switched in and out of the lineup as the team searches for the ideal group of players, D'Errico said. For now, the libero said each player is trying to get better indi vidually, which will lead to the team's progression. While the team searches for its identity, D'Errico said it's not lack ing in confidence. She said it's important to maintain faith in the team during struggles some thing she learned in her first sea son at Penn State. "If we would have let our men tality change my freshman year when we lost to Nebraska and lost to Stanford, we never would be what we are now," D'Errico said. - It's just something that you have to maintain and try to teach the younger kids that it's upholding the tradition. We didn't do a good job of it this weekend, but we have to move on and do better this next weekend." To e-mail reporter: rmlsl3B@psu.edu re minder follow C ollegian twitter Stay up to date on deadlines and promotions! twitter 814 865 2531 SPORTS Middle battle heating up By Emily Kaplan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER The choice between the two middle hitters isn't an easy one they're not exactly similar. Katie Slay is 3t a freshen; just a Jst, while Fatima WOMEN'S Balza is a senior VOLLEYBALL finishing up her collegiate volley- ball career. Slay is defen sive-minded while Balza focuses more on offense. Or, as setter Krisin Carpen ter puts it: Slay "Katie's a giant blocker and Fati's got that Venezuelan swag." It's seven weeks into the sea son for No. 9 Penn State, but coach Russ Rose has yet to decide on which player he wants as a complement to All-American Arielle Wilson in the middle. Both Slay and Balza offer something different on the court. And because of that, Rose is hes itant to put one over the other on the Nittany Lions' depth chart. "I'm not sure if I was starting today who I would start," Rose said. "But I would think they would both play. I would think they'd both do some things well." leers land in No. 4 spot By Greg Garcia COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER For the Penn State leers, it's only a number. The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) has the Icers ranked No. 4 in its latest edition of the top 25. The Icers remained in the four spot, despite posting wins at Pittsburgh and a convincing 11-0 home debut against Drexel. The two-time defending ACHA Division I national champions, Lindenwood University, remain at the top despite suffering it's first loss to Davenport, the three time defending ACHA Division H national champions. The Those twisty, curvy CFL bulbs use 75% less electricity than incandescents and last up to 10 times longer. So switching to energy-efficient CFL bulbs is an easy way to help you control the size of your electric bill And Allegheny Power has more rebates and tips to help everyone conserve energy. To learn more ways alleghenypower.com or call 1-877-928-8928 By the Oct. 2 match against Michigan, Slay was the regular starter and Balza was relegated to the bench. Slay made an immediate impact, tallying five block assists against the Wolverines. This past weekend, however, the competition opened up again. In the Lions' back-to-back road losses to Purdue and Indiana, Rose flip-flopped between the two middles based on matchups. And as of now, that's where the race stands. "It makes our team better when it's competitive, and Katie and Fati have this good competi tion going," senior defensive spe cialist Cathy Quilico said. University of Ohio sits just behind Lindenwood, while the University of Oklahoma and lowa State round out the top five. The Icers were one of six teams receiving a first place vote from the committee. Icers head coach Scott Balboni felt the rankings are hard to read, especially this early into the sea son. He said as the season pro gresses, the rankings would become "more prevalent" after he understands what teams have played amongst one another. Assistant coach Josh Hand was more surprised when he heard the news. to save, visit the Watt Watchers section of Rose has yet to name a starter for Friday night's match against No. 19 Minnesota. He said he's waiting to see how things play out in practice this week. Balza began the year as Penn State's regular starter. The Meridia, Venezuela native start ed 37 of the Lions' 38 matches last season and her 1.47 blocks per set in 2009 ranked 10th in the nation. Yet when the Lions went deep er into their Big Ten schedule and Slay adjusted to the fast paced nature of collegiate volley ball the freshman began to see more court time. Penn State was doing fine offensively, but needed a defensive boost. "To be honest, I had no idea we Allegheny Power an Allegheny Energy company WEDNESDAY, OCT. 13, 2010 I 9 Carpenter echoed that senti ment, adding she's seen both players pick up their game recently. "Because, of course, they're fighting for the same spot," Carpenter said. "It's good com petition, it's healthy competi tion." The competition is so healthy, Balza has been actually helping Slay out. Slay said she's been doing "a lot of observing" during drills at practice. The 6-foot-6 Raleigh, N.C. native the tallest player on Penn State's roster said she will watch both Balza and Wilson and take mental notes on their form. Afterward, Balza and Wilson will give Slay feedback. "Just things like I need to stay further off the net, or watch my relationship with the setter," Slay said. "And it really helps." For Balza, that's all part of the job description for being a senior on the team. She said she doesn't care who starts as long as Penn State wins. "We always want what's best for the team," Balza said. "If she's in, or I'm in, it doesn't mat ter who's in. The point is to help the team and get the goal togeth er" To e-mail reporter: exkso49@psu.edu were ranked No. 4," Hand said after Tuesday's practice with a smile. "We don't put too much weight on the rankings." Hand said his team is more worried about who they are fac ing this weekend than where they stand in the top 25, mention ing how things can change quick ly in collegiate hockey. This weekend, the Icers will square off against its first top-25 foe this season in Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos squad found itself ranked No. 16, despite dropping six of their first nine games. To e-mail reporter: gjgso44@psu.edu WPM T = Use Energy Wisely. Rate caps are set to expire on December 31, 2010, and your electric bill will likely increase. Take steps now to conserve electricity before rates go up.
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