May 7, 2010
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Tournament Central
Pre-Match Press Conference Audio
Complete Release in PDF Format | NCAA Championship semifinal release
STANFORD, Calif. - The third-seeded and 12th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (24-7) is set to take on top-ranked, No. 1 seed Stanford in the NCAA National Championship at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The match is slated for 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) and will air live on ESPN2.
Fans can also listen to the match live via Penn State All-Access or in the State College area on WRSC-FM 103.1 with hosts Dean Devore and Dr. Tom Tait. In addition, fans can continue to follow the action of the team on its trip by following PSUvolleyball, SusanPSUsports and MarkPavlik on Twitter.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions enter the NCAA Championship match vs. Stanford with a 24-7 overall record, after defeating Cal State Northridge in three sets (30-21, 30-23, 30-28) in the NCAA Semifinal on Thursday, May 6. Senior Will Price leads Penn State with 4.52 kills per set and redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas is pacing the offense with 13.82 assists per set. Junior Dennis Del Valle has a squad-leading 3.53 digs per set and senior Max Lipsitz leads the Lions at the net with 1.44 blocks per set. As a team, Penn State is hitting .330 with 16.48 kills per set, 1.33 aces per set, 11.47 digs per set and 2.76 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Stanford
The Nittany Lions lead the series with Stanford 5-2 and have never met in the NCAA Tournament. The teams last met in Springfield's Hall of Fame Classic on Feb. 11, 2006 with the Lions winning, 3-0 (30-22, 30-26, 30-25).
Notes on the Cardinal
Stanford is making its first championship appearance since 1997. The Cardinal defeated Ohio State in the second NCAA Semifinal three sets to none (30-25, 30-26, 30-17). Stanford is attacking at a .353 clip for the season averaging 16.34 kills per set, 1.34 aces per set, 11.34 digs per set and 2.34 blocks per set. Sophomore Brad Lawson leads the Cardinal with 4.83 kills per set, while senior Kawika Shoji paces the offense with 13.80 assists per set. Sophomore Erik Shoji leads the team with 3.41 digs per set and sophomore Gus Ellis has a team-best 1.20 blocks per set.
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.