Feb. 12, 2009
University Park, Pa. -
The top-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (8-0, 4-0 EIVA) hosts Harvard and No. 14 Ohio State this weekend at Rec Hall. The Lions and Crimson will square off on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m. before the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes clash on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7:00 p.m. Prior to Saturday's contest with Ohio State, Penn State will raise its 2008 NCAA Championship banner to the Rec Hall rafters.
Tickets for each night are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and $2 per person in groups of 10 or more. Saturday night is "Code Blue" night for Penn State students, with the first 200 receiving a t-shirt and one having the chance to win an iPod Shuffle. Gametracker and live video will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com for both matches.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions come into the weekend with an 8-0 record after sweeping Springfield (30-21, 30-20, 30-20) last weekend on the road. Senior opposite Ryan Sweitzer and junior outside hitter Will Price lead the squad with 3.96 and 3.89 kills per game, respectively, as junior middle hitter Max Lipsitz averages 2.04 kills per game on .535 hitting. Redshirt freshman setter Edgardo Goas directs the offense with 12.39 assists per game as sophomore libero Dennis Del Valle controls the defense with 2.93 digs per game. Lipsitz and senior middle hitter Max Holt head the blocking list with 1.15 and 1.07 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is leading the nation in hitting percentage, attacking at a .372 clip, while averaging 15.25 kills per game, 2.36 service aces per game, 9.11 digs per game and 2.70 blocks per game.
Scouting Harvard
The Crimson enter Friday's match with a 2-2 record after falling to NYU in five games before outlasting East Stroudsburg in five games last weekend. Senior middle hitter Brady Weissbourd and freshman middle and opposite Nikola Ivica lead the team with 3.79 and 3.47 kills per game, respectively, as junior outside hitter Erik Kuld chips in 2.42 kills per game. Junior setter Gil Weintraub directs the offense with 11.79 assists per game and three players average more than 1.00 digs per game, led by Ivica with 1.84 digs per game. Weissbourd leads the blocking front with 1.79 blocks per game. As a team, Harvard is hitting .190 with 13.11 kills per game, 1.26 service aces per game, 7.53 digs per game and 2.76 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Harvard
Penn State leads Harvard, 2-0, in a series that began in 2000. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion win (30-17, 30-23, 30-15) in the EIVA Championship quarterfinals on April 23, 2005 at Rec Hall.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes come into the weekend with a 4-5 record after sweeping Rutgers-Newark and falling in five to George Mason. Senior outside hitter Robbie Klein leads the team with 3.72 kills per game as redshirt sophomore setter Steven Kehoe directs the offense with 12.59 assists per game. Freshman libero Mik Berzins tops the defensive charts with 3.03 digs per game as redshirt sophomore middle hitter Kevin Heine leads the team with 43 total blocks for the season, good for an average of 1.43 blocks per game. As a team, Ohio State is hitting .265 with 14.94 kills per game, 0.94 service aces per game, 10.38 digs per game and 3.39 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads Ohio State, 60-22, in a series that began in 1978. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion sweep (30-27, 30-24, 30-19) on Jan. 9 at the Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a four-game Penn State win (30-23, 27-30, 30-20, 30-19) on March 28, 2008.
Next Up
Penn State takes to the road to face Loyola-Chicago and IPFW on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-21. The Nittany Lions then return home to host Saint Francis on Wednesday, Feb. 25 before welcoming Lewis and NJIT to Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28 at 7:00 p.m. ET each night.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.