UNIVERSITY PARK, PA --- The Howard University women's volleyball team (18-13 / 11-1 MEAC) will open its NCAA Division I Tournament run with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the No. 7 seed Penn State University Nittany Lions (26-5 / 15-5 Big Ten) at PSU's Rec Hall.

Penn State is serving as a First and Second Round site host: Villanova and Dayton will open the games with their 5 p.m. match with the winners facing off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

FAST FACTS - HOWARD VS PENN STATE

Howard
-    The Bison arrive at the NCAA Tournament after winning its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship since 1994 by sweeping Bethune-Cookman.
-    Howard won the MEAC as the Northern Division's No. 1 seed. HU won the division with an 11-1 record.
-    Howard's NCAA Tournament officially serves as its first-ever bid. When the 1994 team - led by 2015 MEAC Hall of Famer and '94 Outstanding Performer Breshawn Harris - won the MEAC Tournament, the Bison were chosen for a NCAA "Play-In" game to make the full field; Howard would lose that match to local area opponent George Mason.
-    HU is currently on a 13-game winning streak, the longest under fourth-year head coach Shaun Kupferberg.

Penn State
-    PSU enters the NCAA Tournament as the two-time defending national champions. The Nittany Lions defeated BYU last season to earn their school's seventh overall national title.
-    Penn State earned an at-large selection after finishing fourth in the Big Ten Conference (B1G does not sponsor a conference tournament).
-    The Nittany Lions are one of two teams to play in all 35 NCAA Tournaments since 1981, with Stanford being the other.
-    Penn State and Howard have met just once in program history, dating back to the 1979 season. The Nittany Lions topped the Bison 2-0 in a neutral site meeting at the Pitt Invitational Sept. 28, 1979.

Howard Players To Watch

#10 Khaila Donaldson (5-11 Sophomore Outside Hitter / Vernon Hills, Ill.)
Donaldson is one of the most highly decorated players on the Bison team. In just two years, she has been earned two All-MEAC honors (Second Team in 2014, First Team in 2015), two MEAC All-Tournament selections (2014, 2015) and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2015 MEAC Tournament. Donaldson has also won four MEAC Weekly awards during her career - three Rookie of the Week honors in 2014 and a Player of the Week nod on October 26 of this season. This season, Donaldson led the Bison in kills (395), kills per set (3.50) and total points (475) while finishing second in service aces (57) and digs (317).

#22 Courtney Dalton (5-11 Freshman Outside Hitter / Piscataway, N.J.)
The newcomer from New Jersey has steadily improved as the 2015 season progressed, culminating in an outstanding performance in the 2015 MEAC Tournament. Dalton, who was selected to the All-Tournament team, led Howard in kills (45), hitting percentage (.400, min. 10 kills) and total points (49.5; tied). Overall, she finished second on team in kills (255) and blocks (73.0) & third in kills per set (2.45).

#21 Morgan Marlbrough (5-4 Junior Libero / Mandeville, La.)
In her first season as a full-time starter at libero, Marlbrough earned First Team All-MEAC honors after leading the MEAC in digs (431) and helping Howard record the most digs in the conference (1,462) during the regular season. Her 483 digs this season set a new school record and her First Team All-Conference selection was the first at the libero position for Howard under coach Shaun Kupferberg.

#7 Katherine Broussard (5-7 Junior Outside Hitter / Harvey, La.)
Broussard has been a consistent contributor to Howard's success since arriving on campus on two years ago. Her 2013 campaign - Rookie of the Year, First Team All-MEAC, five-time Rookie of the Week and one Player of the Week honor - was the catalyst for the Bison's 20-game turnaround (1-23 in 2013; 21-11 in 2014). During the 2014 run to the MEAC title game, BroussardDespite battling injuries this season, Broussard still earned a Player of the Week honor on October 19 and finished second on the team in kills per set (2.45), third in total kills (186) & points (214) and fourth in digs (207).