Jan. 13, 2011
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 10 Penn State men's volleyball team opens the 2011 season at the 17th Outrigger Hotels Invitational hosted by the University of Hawaii. The Nittany Lions are set to face No. 8 UCLA on Jan. 13, No. 5 Hawaii on Jan. 14 and No. 14 Ball State on Jan. 15.
Links to live stats and a webstream are available at GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions return five starters from last season's squad that finished 2010 with a 24-8 record and made its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance. Despite losing three-time All-American Max Lipsitz and First Team All-EIVA honoree Will Price, head coach Mark Pavlik's 2011 squad will be guided by five talented players, including 2010 AVCA Second Team All-American Dennis Del Valle. Leading the group in addition to Del Valle are redshirt juniors Edgardo Goas and Joe Sunder, junior Ryan Wolf and sophomore Nick Turko. Del Valle led the team in digs in 2010 with 386, crushing his own PSU single season record of 310. He also set the Penn State career digs record, finishing his junior season with 960. Goas, a First Team All-EIVA honoree, started every match at setter and guided the Nittany Lions to a .327 attack percentage, which ranked fourth in the nation. He also guided Lipsitz to a nation-leading .524 hitting percentage. Sunder, a Second Team All-EIVA selection, was second on the team in kills in 2010 with 440 and averaged 3.93 kills per set.
Penn State vs. UCLA
The Nittany Lions own a 6-24-1 record against the Bruins in a series dating back to 1982. Penn State last met UCLA in 2008 in the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational. The Nittany Lions defeated the Bruins, 3-0 (30-19, 30-26, 38-36).
Penn State vs. Hawaii
PSU is 6-12 all-time against Hawaii. The squads first met in 1995 in the NCAA National Semifinals. The Nittany Lions won the match, 3-2 (7-15, 15-13, 16-14, 6-15, 15-12). Penn State has traveled to the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational for 16 consecutive years. Last season, Penn State defeated Hawaii, 3-2 (26-30, 30-26, 30-23, 28-30, 15-9).
Penn State vs. Ball State
The Nittany Lions are 58-19 all-time against the Cardinals. The series began in 1977. Last season, the squads met twice with Penn State winning both matches. PSU won the first meeting on Feb. 19, 3-0 (30-18, 30-15, 30-22), and the second meeting on April 1, 3-2 (20-30, 30-28, 30-23, 26-30, 15-10).
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions host Saint Francis on Jan. 21 in their home opener. Penn State remains at home for five straight matches before a midweek meeting with the Buckeyes on Feb. 9. PSU returns to Rec Hall for four more matches before beginning a six-match road stretch.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey