Jan. 14, 2010
Complete release in pdf format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team host Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Jan. 15 in its first home match of the season. Action is set for 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Live stats and live video will be available via a link at GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Preview
The No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions opened the 2010 season going 2-1 at the Hawai'i Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. Despite suffering a 3-0 (28-30, 24-30, 24-30) setback to No. 1 USC in the opening match, the Nittany Lions rebounded for a 3-2 (26-30, 30-26, 30-23, 28-30, 15-9) win against No. 12 Hawaii and a 3-1 (30-16, 30-27, 24-30, 30-25) triumph against No. 1 Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions attacked at a combined. 314 clip in three matches. Penn State averaged 15.00 kills per set, 14.08 assists per set, 1.92 aces per set, 10.08 digs per set and 3.00 blocks per set. Redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder led the team with 50 kills (4.17 kps), while senior Will Price finished second on the team with 43 kills (3.58 kps). Redshirt sophomore setter Edgardo Goas dished out 158 assists (13.17 assists per set) to pace the Nittany Lion offense. Junior Dennis Del Valle led the back row with 38 digs (3.17 dps) and senior Max Lipsitz was a wall at the net with 20 total blocks (1.67 bps). In serving, Price led the team with eight aces (0.67 aces per set).
Penn State vs. Saint Francis
The Nittany Lions own a perfect 24-0 record against the Red Flash. The two squads first met on April 1, 1995 with Penn State sweeping Saint Francis, 3-0 (15-6, 15-4, 15-8). The teams last met in 2009 with Penn State defeating the Red Flash 3-0 (30-19, 30-, 26, 30-21) on Jan. 30 and again on Feb. 25 (30-19, 30-19, 30-24).
Scouting the Red Flash
The Saint Francis Red Flash opened 2010 with a 3-0 (30-20, 30-26, 30-22) sweep of NYU on Monday, Jan. 12. SFU used a balanced attack to defeat the Violets. Nick Rivett and Jordan Varee each posted eight kills, while Alex Fortney and Pete Freyer put down seven and six, respectively. Ryan Williams posted 26 assists in the match and John Wapler made 10 saves. Patrick McManamon and Varee had a team-best three blocks apiece.
What's Next?
Penn State hosts the Alumni match Saturday at 3 p.m. The Nittany Lions are back on the road on Jan. 23 for a match at Springfield before returning home on Jan. 26 for a 7 p.m. match with Juniata.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.