March 18, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 6 Penn State men's volleyball team travels to Loretto, Pa. on Friday, March 19 to take on Saint Francis. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions return home on Sunday, March 21 to host No. 14 Ohio State at 4 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Live stats will be available for Penn State's match with Ohio State. The matchup between the Lions and the Buckeyes will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions are fresh off a three-match trip to southern California. Penn State finished the week 2-1 with a 3-2 triumph against UC Irvine, a 3-0 sweep of Long Beach and a 3-1 setback to BYU. It was the first 3-0 win against LBSU for PSU since 1988. The Nittany Lions take on Saint Francis on Friday, March 19 and Ohio State on Sunday, March 21.
Penn State owns a 15-3 overall record as it heads back into EIVA play. On their spring break trip to Long Beach, the Nittany Lions attacked at a combined .325 clip. PSU averaged 18.17 kills per set, 17.75 assists per set, 0.83 aces per set, 12.75 digs per set and 1.71 blocks per set. Senior Will Price led the Lions with 6.00 kps and senior Max Lipsitz had a team-high hitting percentage of .553 with 5.00 kps. Redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas tallied 202 assists averaging 16.83 aps, while junior libero Dennis Del Valle had 3.83 dps. Freshman Nick Turko led the team at the net with 0.75 bps.
Penn State vs. Saint Francis
The Nittany Lions are 25-0 all-time against the Red Flash in a series dating back to 1995. Penn State and Saint Francis have already met once in 2010. The Lions swept the Red Flash on Jan. 15 with set scores of 30-22, 30-20 and 30-20.
Notes on the Red Flash
The Red Flash also made the trip out west to LBSU's Active Ankle Challenge. Saint Francis suffered a 3-0 (28-30, 27-30, 17-30) setback to then No. 6 Long Beach and a 3-1 (35-33, 27-30, 14-30, 23-30) loss to No. 4 BYU. The Red Flash has only won two of its last seven matches, including a 3-2 win against Rutgers-Newark on Feb. 13 and a 3-1 win against Juniata on Feb. 23. Jordan Varee leads the Red Flash with 4.77 kps, John Wappler is averaging 2.33 dps and Pete Freyer has a squad-leading 1.16 bps.
Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads the series with the Buckeyes 62-22. This is the third meeting for the two teams this season. The Nittany Lions defeated the Buckeyes, 3-1, on Jan. 9 at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational and again on March 3, 3-0, at OSU's St. John Arena.
Notes on the Buckeyes
The Buckeyes have not played a match since March 7. Ohio State has won three of its last five matches with wins against George Mason (3-0), IPFW (3-2) and Mt. Olive (3-0). Its two losses were to UC Santa Barbara (0-3) in the Volleyball Hall of Fame/Morgan Classic on Feb. 27 and to Penn State (0-3) on March 3. Shawn Sangrey leads the Buckeyes with 4.29 kps, Mik Berzins has a team-best 2.53 dps and Grayson Overman leads OSU at the net with 1.37 bps.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are back on the road on Tuesday, March 23 at Juniata. Action is set for 7 p.m. Penn State plays its final home match of the regular season on Friday, March 26 against Princeton. First serve is 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.