March 27, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
The top-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (22-1) hosts its final regular-season home matches this weekend, welcoming No. 10 Ohio State and No. 7 Ball State to Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes (12-6) meet on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in a match that will be broadcast live in the State College area on WPSU and also streamed live on the web at www.GoPSUsports.com. Saturday's contest between the Lions and Cardinals is also slated for 7:00 p.m. and will feature free live video streaming, and both contests will have Gametracker, all available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Admission to both matches is free and the Friday match with the Buckeyes is also a Code Blue event, with the first 150 Penn State students receiving a Code Blue t-shirt and becoming eligible to enter the Code Blue spring semester grand prize of the free use of textbooks for the fall semester courtesy of the Penn State Bookstore, as well as 2008 football tickets. All fans will have the chance to catch t-shirts and win prizes during the intermission serving contest both nights.
Saturday will be Senior Night, honoring Luke Murray and Travis Foltz for their contributions to Penn State and the men's volleyball team.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 21-1 overall record after sweeping Juniata in three games (30-16, 30-17, 30-20) on Tuesday in Huntingdon, Pa. Junior outside hitter Matt Anderson leads the squad and the nation with 5.72 kills per game as junior opposite Ryan Sweitzer and junior middle hitter Max Holt chip in 3.35 and 3.16 kills per game, respectively, with Holt's coming on a nation-best .554 hitting percentage. Senior setter Luke Murray directs the offense with 13.48 assists per game and freshman libero Dennis Del Valle tops the defense with 2.47 digs per game as junior outside hitter Jay Stauffer adds in 1.65 digs per game. Holt and sophomore middle hitter Max Lipsitz head the blocking list with 1.30 and 1.12 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is leading the country with a .400 hitting percentage while adding in 16.14 kills per game, 1.71 service aces per game, 8.63 digs per game and 3.02 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads Ohio State, 57-22, in a series that began in 1978. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-22, 37-35, 30-24) on Jan. 19 in Columbus, Ohio. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a four-game Penn State win (30-32, 31-29, 30-27, 30-26) on Feb. 1, 2007. Over the last five years, the Nittany Lions hold the 9-3 advantage.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ball State
Penn State leads Ball State, 53-19, in a series that began in 1977. The Lions have claimed the two previous meetings this season, the first in three games (30-20, 30-17, 30-19) on Jan. 5 at the Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the second in four games (30-23, 28-30, 30-27, 34-32) on Jan. 18 in Muncie, Ind. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-19, 30-25, 30-22) on Feb. 16, 2007. Over the last five years, the Nittany Lions hold the 8-2 advantage.
Next Up
Penn State takes to the road for the final matches of the regular season, heading to Loyola-Chicago and IPFW on Friday and Saturday, April 11-12. The Nittany Lions earned a bye in the EIVA Quarterfinals and will host the EIVA Semifinals and Championship on Thursday and Saturday, April 24 and 26 at Rec Hall. The semifinals will be at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday with the NCAA Semifinal berth decided on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the EIVA Championship match.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.