March 11, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team is back in action on March 12-13 in Long Beach, Calif. The Nittany Lions challenge No. 4 BYU at 5 p.m. on Friday before facing the 49ers on Saturday at 7 p.m. at LBSU's Walter Pyramid.
Live stats and a live radio broadcast will be available via links at GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions continue their California road trip on March 12-13 with matches against No. 4 BYU and No. 6 LBSU. Action against the Cougars is set or 4 p.m. on Friday and the Lions take on the 49ers on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Penn State men's volleyball team improved to 14-2 overall this season with a 3-2 (33-31, 30-25, 26-30, 28-30, 16-14) victory at UC Irvine on March 10. The Nittany Lions attacked a .353 clip averaging 17.20 kills per set, 16.80 assists per set, 0.80 aces per set, 12.20 digs per set and 1.90 blocks per set. Senior Will Price led the Lions with 6.00 kps, while redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas paced the offense with 16.20 aps. Junior libero Dennis Del Valle had a team-best 5.00 dps and redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder and freshman Nick Turko put up 0.80 bps.
Penn State vs. BYU
The Nittany Lions 9-7 all-time against the Cougars dating back to 1990. The squads faced one another in back-to-back matches in 1990 with Penn State winning both by scores of 3-1 and 3-2. PSU met BYU last in 2009 at the Active Ankle Challenge. Penn State lost the match in five sets. The Lions' last win against BYU was on Feb. 5 with PSU winning, 3-2.
Notes on the Cougars
The fourth-ranked Cougars are 10-7 overall this season with eight wins against Top 15 teams. Senior outside hitter Andrew Stewart leads BYU with 3.86 kps and sophomore Rob Stowell is not far behind with 3.80 kps. Senior setter Reed Chilton has been making a majority of the sets averaging 11.94 aps. Stewart has a team-best 145 digs (2.23 dps) and teammate Joe Silva leads the Cougars with 2.38 dps. Sophomore Russell Lavaja leads the team in block with 1.35 bps.
Penn State vs. LBSU
Long Beach State leads the series with the Nittany Lions 13-5. The teams first met on March 7 at the Long Beach Invitational with the 49ers winning 3-1. Penn State's most recent win against LBSU was in 2008. The Nittany Lions won 3-2 on March 15 at the Active Ankle/Guest House Classic. The 49ers won last season's match in five sets on March 14 in the closing match of the Active Ankle Challenge.
Notes on the 49ers
LBSU is 10-7 like BYU heading into the Active Ankle Challenge. Senior Dean Bittner leads the 49ers with 4.68 kps and senior Conor Eaton has been guiding the LBSU offense with 13.11 aps. Bittner is averaging a team-best 1.15 dps and junior Antwain Aguillard is a wall at the net with 1.21 bps.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions remain on the road for a March 19 match at Saint Francis at 7 p.m. Penn State returns home on Sunday, March 21 for a 4 p.m. match with Ohio State. The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
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.