March 5, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team hosts EIVA foe George Mason on Saturday, March 6 in Rec Hall. Action is set for 7 p.m. in the South Gym.
Live stats will not be available due to the match being held in South Gym.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions are back at home in Rec Hall hosting the Patriots of George Mason on Saturday, March 7. Action is set for 7 p.m. in South Gym.
The Penn State men's volleyball team improved to 12-2 overall this season with a 3-0 (30-26, 30-27, 30-18) win at Ohio State on Wednesday, March 3. It was the second of three meetings between the Lions and Buckeyes this season. Senior Will Price led the Lions with 4.33 kills per set, while senior Max Lipsitz, sophomore Ryan Wolf and redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder each put down an average of 3.00 kills per set. Junior Dennis Del Valle had a team-best 3.00 digs per set and Lipsitz was a wall at the net with 2.00 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. George Mason
George Mason is Penn State's second most common opponent with the teams having met 97 times since 1977. Penn State has won seven of the last eight meetings with the Patriots, including three wins in 2009. The Lions defeated the Patriots twice in the regular season, as well as sweeping George Mason in the EIVA Championships. The Patriots last secured a win against PSU in 2008 on March 7 in four sets.
Notes on the Patriots
The Patriots opened 2010 with a 3-0 sweep of Lees-Mcrae on Jan. 23, but went on to lose at both Ohio State and Ball State. However, George Mason closed out January with a 3-1 win at IPFW. Since then, the Patriots have won just two matches, a 3-1 win at Saint Francis and a 3-2 triumph at Springfield. Sophomore outside hitter Andrew Dentler leads the offense with 4.81 kills per set and freshman Javier Perez handles the setting duties averaging 12.57 assists per set. Senior libero Luke Maloney is registering 2.45 digs per set and Dentler, who has a team-best 30 blocks, is putting up 0.97 blocks per set.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are on the road for the next four matches, including a Spring Break trip to southern California. Penn State takes on UC Irvine on Wednesday, March 10 before challenging BYU and Long Beach State in the Active Ankle Challenge on March 12-13. The Lions travel to Saint Francis on March 19 before returning home to take on Ohio State on March 21.
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.