Nittany Lions Help Team USA to Two Gold Medals

Three former Penn State volleyball players helped earn Team USA two gold medals over the weekend.

Megan Easy, formerly Hodge, and Christina Harmatto Diezten won gold in the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix in Omaha on Sunday.

Team USA defeated Brazil 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-19), Saturday, to clinch first place and finish undefeated during the five-day round robin Grand Prix.

Deizten finished with a team-high 10 points and nine kills. Easy did not play in the title-clinching game, but did play in the final match against China and finished with 13 points and 11 kills.

Speaking to TeamUSA.org, Dietzen gave much of the credit for the win to the team’s three pin hitters. Although she said her “blocking came came around” for the match, Dietzen says the pin hitters deserve praise for keeping the heat on Brazil’s hitters.

This is the United States sixth Grand Prix gold. They defeated five nations, who were all ranked in the top 10 in the world, during the tournament.

In Toronto, a separate American team took gold during the Pan American games on the same day sweeping Brazil 25-22, 25-21, 28-26. Former Nittany Lion Nicole Fawcett led the team with 21 points and 19 kills.

Fawcett was also named the best at her position, opposite, during the games.

This is the first Pan Am gold medal in women’s volleyball since 1967 for Team USA and the second overall.

Easy, Diezten and Fawcett all played on Penn State’s 2007 and 2008 National Championship team. Fawcett was the Big Ten’s player of the year in 2008.

Dietzten played on the United States Olympic team and took home a silver medal in 2012.

Easy helped the Lions add another National Title and was named the Big Ten’s Play of the Year, as well, in 2009.