April 23, 2008
EIVA Championship Central
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (26-1) will host the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Championship on Thursday and Saturday, April 24 and 26 at Rec Hall. The winner of the championship earns the league's automatic bid into the NCAA National Collegiate Semifinal, slated for Thursday, May 1 at UC Irvine. The National Championship match is Saturday, May 3.
On Thursday, April 24, second-seed and No. 11 George Mason (19-7) and six-seed NJIT (13-13) square off at 4:30 p.m. at Rec Hall in the first semifinal. At 7:30 p.m., top-seed Penn State and eight-seed NYU (23-7) meet in the second semifinal. The winners of each match advance to the EIVA Championship tilt, slated for Saturday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions have captured the last nine consecutive EIVA Championship titles.
Gametracker and video for all three matches can be found at www.GoPSUsports.com on the EIVA Championship Central page.
Tickets for the EIVA Semifinals and Championship are $5 for adults and $3 for youth, with Penn State students gaining free admission. Groups of 10 or more, any age, are just $2 per person. Seating is general admission and tickets will be available at the Rec Hall ticket office beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 24 and starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter Thursday's match with a 26-1 overall record after sweeping both Loyola-Chicago and IPFW on the road two weeks ago. Uvaldo Acosta Memorial EIVA Player of the Year junior outside hitter Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) leads the team with 5.63 kills per game as First Team All-EIVA junior opposite Ryan Sweitzer (Lancaster, Pa.) chips in 3.43 kills per game. First Team All-EIVA senior setter Luke Murray (East Petersburg, Pa.) directs the offense with 13.49 assists per game as First Team All-EIVA and EIVA Newcomer of the Year freshman libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) tops the defense with 2.53 digs per game. First Team All-EIVA junior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) heads the blocking list with 1.28 blocks per game while First Team All-EIVA sophomore middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) adds in 1.13 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is leading the nation with a .400 hitting percentage while adding in 16.11 kills per game, 1.73 service aces per game, 8.71 digs per game and 3.02 blocks per game.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.