March 19, 2009
University Park, Pa. - The seventh-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (15-3) welcomes MIVA foes IPFW (9-7) and No. 15 Loyola-Chicago (9-7) to Rec Hall this weekend. The Nittany Lions take on the Mastodons on Friday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. before facing the Ramblers on Saturday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. Gametracker and video will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com for the match and admission is free.
Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions come enter the weekend with a 15-3 overall record after falling to then-No. 9 BYU and then-No. 7 Long Beach State in five games each at the Active Ankle Classic in Long Beach, Calif., last weekend. Junior outside hitter Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) leads the squad with 3.46 kills per game while senior opposite Ryan Sweitzer (Lancaster, Pa.) adds in 3.35 kills per game and junior middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) chips in 2.95 kills per game. Redshirt freshman setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) directs the offense with 12.59 assists per game while sophomore libero and EIVA Player of the Week Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) leads the defense with 2.94 digs per game. Lipsitz heads the blocking charts with 1.23 blocks per game while senior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) averages 1.03 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting a nation-leading .386 with 15.33 kills per game, 1.86 service aces per game, 8.86 digs per game and 2.73 blocks per game.
The Series: Penn State vs. IPFW
Penn State leads IPFW, 36-13, in a series that began in 1984. The previous meeting this season was a four-game Nittany Lion victory (30-27, 30-32, 30-28, 30-22) on Feb. 21, 2009 in Fort Wayne, Ind. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-20, 30-22, 30-20) on Feb. 9, 2008.
The Series: Penn State vs. Loyola-Chicago
Penn State and Loyola-Chicago are tied, 6-6, in a series that began in 1996. The previous meeting this season was a five-game Rambler win (30-24, 25-30, 25-30, 30-27, 15-9) on Feb. 20, 2009 in Chicago, Ill. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a three-game Penn State win (30-26, 30-19, 30-22) on Feb. 8, 2008.
Next Up
Penn State travels to local rival Juniata on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m. before returning home to host Princeton and Mount Olive on Friday and Saturday, March 27-28 in the final regular-season home matches of the year. Both contests start at 7:00 p.m. and prior to Saturday's contest, the Nittany Lion seniors will be honored in a short ceremony.
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.