April 8, 2010
Complete Release in pdf format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team makes its second trip to California this weekend to take on the No. 11 UC Santa Barbara on Friday, April 9 and No. 4 Cal State Northridge on Saturday, April 10. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m. PT.
Live stats will be available for both matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions are smack in the middle of a six-match road trip. Most recently, Penn State earned a 3-2 win at No. 15 Ball State and a 3-1 victory at IPFW. The Lions conclude their road trip at George Mason on April 17.
Penn State attacked at a combined .248 clip in matches at Ball State and IPFW on April 1-2. The Lions averaged 15.22 kills per set, 14.22 assists per set, 0.89 aces per set, 11.44 digs per set and 3.33 blocks per set. Senior Max Lipsitz led the Lions with 4.33 kps on .574 hitting. He also had a team-best 1.33 bps. Redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas averaged 12.89 aps and junior Dennis Del Valle led Penn State with 3.33 dps.
Penn State vs. UC Santa Barbara
The Nittany Lions are 5-7 all-time against the Gauchos. The teams first met in 1982 at the Dos Equis Classic hosted by UCLA. However, it wasn't until January 31, 1987 that PSU earned its first win. Penn State defeated UCSB 3-1 at the Collegiate Preview at Colorado State. Penn State won the last meeting on March 12, 2007 by a score of 3-2.
Notes on the Gauchos
The 11th-ranked Gauchos are 11-14 overall with an 8-11 record in MPSF play. UCSB has only won one of their last seven matches, a 3-0 sweep of Pacific on April 2. Junior Jeff Menzel leads UCSB with 5.35 kills per set, while junior setter Vince Devany is handling the setting duties with 13.54 aps. Junior libero Andy McGuire has a team-best 2.73 dps and junior middle blocker Scott Slaughter leads the Gauchos at the net with 1.02 bps.
Penn State vs. Cal State Northridge
Penn State is 6-3 against the fourth-ranked Matadors. The Nittany Lions won the first meeting between the two teams back in 1982, 2-1 (10-15, 15-12, 16-14). The two teams last met on March 14, 1998. Penn State won the match 3-0 (15-11, 16-14, 16-14).
Notes on the Matadors
Cal State Northridge has won five of its last six matches, with it's only loss coming to Ball State on March 27 in the second meeting with the Cardinals in as many days. Most recently, the Matadors defeated Stanford, 3-1, and swept Pacific, 3-0. Senior Theo Edwards leads the Matadors with 3.41 kps and sophomore setter Matt Stork is pacing the Matador offense with 13.27 aps. Senior libero Ali'i Keohohou leads the team with 2.79 dps and senior Kevin McKniff has a team-best 1.08 bps.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions close out the regular season at George Mason on Saturday, April 17. Match action starts at 7 p.m. Penn State clinched the No. 1 seed for the EIVA Tournament. After a weekend off, the Nittany Lions will host the EIVA Tournament Semifinals and Finals on April 29 and May 1, respectively.
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.