March 24, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (21-1, 10-1) heads to Juniata (8-9, 4-4) for an EIVA Tait division matchup on Tuesday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Huntingdon, Pa. A link to live stats will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the match with a 21-1 overall record after defeating Cal Baptist (30-21, 30-27, 30-26) and then-No. 3 Long Beach State (30-18, 27-30, 30-28, 29-31, 15-12) on March 14-15 in Long Beach Calif. Junior outside hitter Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) leads the Lions and the nation with 5.78 kills per game as junior opposite Ryan Sweitzer (Lancaster, Pa.) chips in 3.35 kills per game and junior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) averages 3.19 kills per game on a nation-best .547 hitting percentage. Senior setter Luke Murray (East Petersburg, Pa.), last week named the AVCA National Player of the Week, directs the Lion offense with 13.56 assists per game and freshman libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) leads the defense with 2.49 digs per game. Holt heads the blocking list with 1.31 blocks per game while sophomore middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) adds in 1.12 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is leading the nation with a .393 hitting percentage and is averaging 16.15 kills per game, 1.67 service aces per game, 8.70 digs per game and 3.01 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Juniata
Penn State leads Juniata, 31-0, in a series that began in 1993. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-21, 30-23, 30-25) on Feb. 5 at Rec Hall. The last meeting in Huntingdon was a five-game Penn State victory (26-30, 30-19, 30-22, 28-30, 15-10) on March 28, 2007.
Next Up
Penn State returns to Rec Hall on March 28 for a 7:00 p.m. meeting with No. 10 Ohio State that will be televised live on WPSU in the State College area. Penn State then hosts No. 7 Ball State on Saturday, March 29 in a contest that will also be Senior Night, honoring Luke Murray and Travis Foltz for their contributions to Penn State and the men's volleyball program. Admission to both matches is free and the Friday match with the Buckeyes is also a Code Blue event.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.