Feb. 17, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 11th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (9-3, 4-0 EIVA) hosts Mount Olive and Lees McRae this weekend. The Nittany Lions welcome MOC to the South Gym of Rec Hall on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Penn State's match with Lees McRae will take place in the main gym of Rec Hall on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions improved to 9-3 overall with a 4-0 record in EIVA play with wins against Rutgers-Newark and Princeton on Feb. 11-12. Three Nittany Lions averaged 3.60 kills per set or better including, sophomore Tom Comfort (3.80), redshirt junior Joe Sunder (3.67) and freshman Peter Russell (3.60). Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas averaged 12.33 assists per set and senior Dennis Del Valle contributed 2.57 digs per set. Sophomore Nick Turko led the Lions at the net with 0.86 blocks per set. For the weekend, Penn State hit .362 and averaged 15.71 kills per set, 14.00 assists per set, 2.00 aces per set, 7.71 digs per set and 1.64 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Mount Olive
The Nittany Lions are 3-0 all-time against the Trojans. The squads first met in 2005 at the Penn State Invitational with the Nittany Lions winning, 3-0. Penn State hosted Mount Olive again on Jan. 28, 2008 winning, 3-0, and last on March 28, 2009 with the same result.
Scouting the Trojans
A member of the Conference Carolinas, the Trojans are 11-2 overall this season with a 4-0 record in conference play. Mount Olive is currently on a eight match winning streak, most recently defeating York, Limestone and Pfeiffer in the MOC Invitational. The Trojans will travel to Saint Francis on Saturday after taking on the Nittany Lions.
Penn State vs. Lees McRae
This is the first meeting between Lees McRae and Penn State.
Scouting the Bobcats
The Bobcats are 6-6 overall this season and 2-1 in Conference Carolina play. Lees McRae most recently traveled to King College in Tennessee and earned a 3-0 sweep before traveling to Limestone where the Bobcats managed a 3-2 victory.
Pavlik Aims for Win No. 400 Against Mount Olive
Head coach Mark Pavlik entered the 2011 season with a career-record of 390-113, winning more than 77 percent of all matches he's coached. So far in 2011, the Nittany Lions have an overall record of 9-3, putting Pavlik's record at 399-116. He and his team will aim to reach 400 wins against Mount Olive on Feb. 18.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions head on a six-match road trip beginning on Feb. 23 with a trip to Saint Francis. Penn State remains on the road traveling to George Mason (2/26), Springfield (3/5), UCLA (3/9), UC Santa Barbara (3/11) and Long Beach (3/12).
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.