Jan. 5, 2010
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GALLERY
HONOLULU, Hawaii - The No. 5 Penn State men's volleyball team opens its 2010 campaign at the Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Nittany Lions take on Southern California on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. HT (9 p.m. ET) before taking on host Hawaii on Friday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. HT( midnight ET). Penn State closes out the tournament with a 4 p.m. HT (9 p.m. ET) match with Ohio State on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Live stats for all three matches is available at HawaiiAthletics.com and live video streaming will also be available at uhstreaming.oceanic.com.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions return five starters from last season's squad that finished 2009 with a 27-4 record and made its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance. Despite losing two-time All-American Max Holt and Second Team All-EIVA honoree Ryan Sweitzer, head coach Mark Pavlik's 2010 squad will be guided by four returning All-Americans. Leading the group are seniors Will Price and Max Lipsitz. Price averaged 0.55 aces per set to rank third in the nation and finished second on the team with 343 kills. Lipsitz's .490 attack percentage ranked third in the nation and he led the Nittany Lions with 118 total blocks. Junior libero Dennis Del Valle led the team with 3.07 digs per set in 2009, set Penn State's single season digs record at 310 and was a libero for the Puerto Rican Junior National Team over the summer. Del Valle was joined by redshirt sophomore setter Edgardo Goas who was the EIVA Newcomer of the Year and an AVCA Second Team All-American. Redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder is the final returning starter for Penn State. After earning Second Team All-EIVA honors last season, Sunder competed for the U.S. Men's Junior National Team at the 2009 FIVB Men's Junior World Championships in Pune, India as a starting opposite.
Penn State vs. USC
The Nittany Lions trail the Trojans 16-6 in a series dating back to 1980. Penn State met USC twice in 2009 with each team securing a win. The Nittany Lions defeated USC 3-2 (27-30, 30-23, 30-19, 29-31, 15-12) at the Outrigger Invitational on Jan. 8. The teams met a second time in the NCAA National Semifinals on May 7 with USC winning the match 3-1 (30-27, 26-30, 26-30, 24-30).
Penn State vs. Hawaii
PSU owns a 5-12 record against Hawaii and has won the last three meetings. The two squads last met on Jan. 10, 2009 with the Nittany Lions winning 3-1 (30-22, 21-30, 30-22, 30-23). Hawaii last registered a victory against PSU in 2006 with a 3-0 (30-19, 30-21, 34-32) sweep of Penn State on Jan. 18.
Penn State vs. Ohio State
The Nittany Lions are 62-22-1 all-time against the Buckeyes. The squads first met in 1978. Penn State has won seven of the last eight meetings, including three 3-0 sweeps of OSU in 2009. The Buckeyes last defeated the Nittany Lions in 2007, 3-2 (20-30, 30-27, 19-30, 30-20, 15-13), on April 4.
Penn State and the Outrigger Invitational
The Nittany Lions are competing in the Outrigger Invitational for the 16th year. Penn State and Hawaii are the only two teams to compete in the tournament each year since it began in 1995. In 2009, Penn State claimed the tournament title for the second consecutive season and the second time in program history after defeating USC, Hawaii and Ohio State.
What's Next
The Nittany Lions host Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Jan. 15 in their 2010 home opener. Action is set for 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
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.