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No. 9 Nittany Lions Host Laval in Two Matches

Feb. 11, 2010

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team (8-2, 4-0 EIVA) hosts Laval this weekend in two matches at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions take on the Rouge et Or on Friday at 7 p.m. in the South Gym of Rec Hall and again on Saturday in the main gym.

Live stats will be available for Saturday's match via a link at GoPSUsports.com and will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com.

Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions are back in action at Rec Hall this weekend with one match in South Gym and a second in the Main Gym. Penn State faces Laval both nights at 7 p.m.

Penn State improved to 8-2 and 4-0 in EIVA play last weekend with wins against EIVA Hay member Rutgers and EIVA Tait opponent Springfield. The Lions attacked at a .357 clip averaging 17.43 kills per set, 15.00 assists per set, 1.00 aces per set, 11.43 digs per set and 2.50 blocks per set. Senior Will Price led the Lions with 4.29 kps and redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder wasn't far behind at 4.14 kps. Redshirt sophomore setter Edgardo Goas averaged 15.00 aps and junior Dennis Del Valle had a team-best 4.50 dps. Lipsitz led the Lions at the net with 1.50 bps.

Penn State vs. Laval
The Nittany Lions first met the Rouge et Or in 1982 at the Dalhousie Classic. Under former head coach Tom Tait, the Lions won all five matches in the Classic, including a 3-1 (13-15, 15-9, 15-5, 15-6) win against Laval. The two squads last met during the regular season in 1988 at the Excalibur Classic in Toronto. Penn State played the Rouge et Or twice winning the first match 3-0 (15-8, 17-15, 15-4) and the second match 3-1 (15-8, 15-12, 10-15, 15-9). The Lions have faced Laval during preseason matches, as well.

Notes on the Rouge et Or
Laval heads into its weekend matches with the Nittany Lions with a perfect 18-0 record. Its season started on Nov. 6, 2009 and the team had a short break in December before resuming play on Jan. 15. Karl de Grandpre is one of Laval's leaders with a team-best 224 kills on .420 hitting. Justin Boudreault has paced the Laval offense to a season hitting percentage of .361. On defense, Simon Fecteau-Boutin leads the team with 56 total blocks and de Grandpre leads the team in digs with 91.

What's Next?
The Nittany Lions have two more matches at home before heading back on the road for three consecutive matches. Penn State hosts Ball State on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and IPFW on Feb. 20, also at 7 p.m.

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.