Jan. 20, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team opens its home slate this weekend hosting Saint Francis and Springfield. The Nittany Lions (2-1) take on the Red Flash Friday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. and the Pride on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. Both matches will be played in the South Gym of Rec Hall.
Links to live stats will be available at GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions opened the 2011 season at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational hosted by the University of Hawaii. After suffering a 3-1 setback to then No. 8 UCLA, the Nittany Lions defeating No. 5 Hawaii, 3-2, and No. 14 Ball State, 3-0. Redshirt junior Joe Sunder led the Lions with 5.83 kills per set on .460 hitting, while redshirt junior setter Edgardo Goas averaged 10.92 assists per set and guided the Nittany Lion offense to .346 hitting. Senior Dennis Del Valle led the team with 2.00 digs per set and Sunder was a wall at the net with 0.83 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Saint Francis
The Nittany Lions own a 26-0 record against the Red Flash dating back to 1995. In 2010, Penn State and Saint Francis met twice. Penn State won the first match on Jan. 15, 3-0 (30-22, 30-20, 30-20). The squads met again on March 19 at Saint Francis with the Nittany Lions earned a 3-0 (30-19, 30-19, 30-26) sweep.
Scouting Saint Francis
The matchup with Penn State will be the second match of the season for the Red Flash. Saint Francis opened the season on Jan. 15 against Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the match, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19).
Penn State vs. Springfield
PSU is 31-0 all-time against the Pride dating back to 1977. The squads met in February of 1977 with the Nittany Lions winning, 3-0 (15-2, 15-9, 15-11). In 2010, the Pride and the Nittany Lions met three times, including in the EIVA Semifinals, with Penn State winning all three meetings.
Scouting Springfield
The Pride is 1-2 overall after opening the season with three matches in California. The Nittany Lions defeated Hope International, 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19) on Jan. 14, but suffered two 3-0 losses to Cal Baptist.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions remain at home for four straight matches. Penn State hosts Loyola on Jan. 28 and Lewis on Jan. 29, followed by UC Irvine on Feb. 4 and Cal State Northridge on Feb. 5.
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