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WVU to Open Season at Penn State Classic
August 25, 2016 03:06 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team is headed to University Park, Pa., where it will open the 2016 season on Friday at No. 9 Penn State as part of the Penn State Classic at Rec Hall. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the Mountaineers will face No. 19 North Carolina at 1 p.m. before wrapping things up against Georgia Southern at 4:30 p.m.
This weekend marks the 27th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers the Nittany Lions, who first squared off in 1978. The two last met in 2006, with Penn State earning its 26th victory of the series. Ranked No. 9 in the AVCA Coaches’ Preseason Poll, the Nittany Lions advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2015 after winning the 2014 National Championship.
“We’ve got to do what we’re doing here,” said coach Reed Sunahara, who enters his second season. “Penn State’s a great program. They’re well-coached, and they’ve won multiple National Championships. It’s a great opportunity for us to go there and play in front of a big crowd against a great team that’s well-coached. Every experience that have will be better for us.”
The Mountaineers have met the No. 19 Tar Heels on five previous occasions, most recently taking a 3-0 loss in 2014 as part of the Big 12-ACC Challenge. Though infrequent, the series spans nearly 40 years with UNC boasting a 5-0 advantage.
Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between WVU and Georgia Southern, who recently moved to the Sun Belt Conference from the SoCon.
Six Mountaineers return from last season’s squad, led by captains Hannah Shreve (senior middle blocker) and Gianna Gotterba (junior libero). Outsider hitter Morgan Montgomery looks to expand on a fantastic sophomore campaign that saw her rank in the top-3 of the Big 12 with 3.74 kills per set, while setter Haley Roe enters her final campaign in Morgantown. Along with junior defensive specialist Taylor Cross, junior middle blocker Mia Swanegan and senior defensive specialist MaTia Hughes, the veteran core will be bolstered by the addition of eight newcomers to this season’s squad.
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