March 12, 2009
University Park, Pa. - The fourth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (15-1) heads to the West Coast to face No. 9 BYU (9-8) and No. 7 Long Beach State (8-8) this weekend at the Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. The Nittany Lions and Cougars square off on Friday, March 13 at 4:00 p.m. PT (7:00 p.m. ET) before the Lions and 49ers face off on Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m. PT (10:00 p.m. ET). Gametracker will be available via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com for both matches.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions come into the weekend with a 15-1 overall record after sweeping George Mason (30-18, 30-25, 30-18) last weekend at home. Junior outside hitter Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) leads the Lions with 3.74 kills per game as senior opposite Ryan Sweitzer (Lancaster, Pa.) chips in 3.28 kills per game. Redshirt freshman setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) directs the offense with 12.98 assists per game as sophomore libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) provides 2.98 digs per game. Junior middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) and senior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) lead the blocking list with 1.24 and 1.08 blocks per game, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting .410 with 15.75 kills per game, 1.95 service aces per game, 8.89 digs per game and 2.83 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. Brigham Young
Penn State leads Brigham Young, 9-6, in a series that began in 1990. The last meeting was a three-game Cougar win (30-22, 30-23, 30-18) on Jan. 26, 2007 in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Outrigger Invitational. The last Nittany Lion win in the series was a five-game victory (20-30, 23-30, 30-21, 30-25, 15-10) on Feb. 5, 2005 at the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.
The Series: Penn State vs. Long Beach State
Penn State trails Long Beach State, 12-5, in a series that began in 1985. The last meeting was a five-game Nittany Lion win (30-18, 27-30, 30-28, 29-31, 15-12) on March 15, 2008 at the Active Ankle/Guesthouse Classic in Long Beach, Calif.
Last Time Out
The Nittany Lions pounded George Mason in three games (30-18, 30-25, 30-18) March 6 at Rec Hall. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Joe Sunder led all players with 13 kills as junior outside hitter Will Price and senior middle hitter Max Holt chipped in 12 and 11 kills, respectively. As a team, Penn State attacked at a .398 clip. Redshirt freshman setter Edgardo Goas (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) directed the Lion offense with 47 assists while Price led the defense with nine digs. Penn State claimed the blocking battle, 10.0 to 8.5, led by Lipsitz with six and Sweitzer with four.
Next Up
Penn State returns home to host IPFW and Loyola-Chicago on Friday and Saturday, March 20-21 at Rec Hall.
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.