Feb. 3, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The eighth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team welcomes No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 13 Cal State Northridge to Rec Hall this weekend. The Nittany Lions takes on UCI at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4 and CS-Northridge on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
In addition to Penn State's matches, No. 9 Ohio State will also be in attendance. The Buckeyes face CS-Northridge on Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. and UCI on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m.
Links to live stats for all four matches are available at GoPSUsports.com. Penn State's match against CS-Northridge will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com and air on the Big Ten Network on Feb. 9 at 4 p.m.
Admission will be charged for the matches this weekend. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and groups of 20 or more. Groups can purchase tickets in advance for $4 each by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or calling 1-800-NITTANY.
Penn State Preview
The Nittany Lions continued their home match winning streak with back-to-back wins against No. 14 Loyola and Lewis on Jan. 28-29. Redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led the team averaging 6.57 kills per set. Redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) averaged 13.86 assists per set. Senior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had a team-best 3.42 digs per set. Senior Alan Mars (Rochester, NY.) and redshirt freshman Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) led the team with .57 blocks per set each. Penn State averaged 16.71 kills per set, 1.86 aces per set, 11.14 digs per set and 1.43 blocks per set for the weekend.
Penn State vs. UC Irvine
Penn State and UC Irvine are tied at 4-4 in the series. The Nittany Lions won the last meeting on March 10, 2010, 3-2.
Scouting the Anteaters
UC Irvine is 4-5 so far this season. They have won two of their last five matches, defeating UCSB, 3-0, and Pepperdine, 3-2. Most recently, BYU swept the Anteaters in back-to-back matches.
Penn State vs. Cal State Northridge
Penn State is 7-4 all-time against the Matadors. The squads met twice in 2010. The Nittany Lions took on CS Northridge on April 10 and suffered a 3-0 setback. However, the Nittany Lions faced the Matadors a second time in the NCAA National Semifinals on May 6 and won the match, 3-0, to advance to the National Championship.
Scouting the Matadors
CS Northridge is 2-7 in 2011. The Matadors two wins came against UC San Diego (3-1) and Pepperdine (3-2). CS Northridge is currently on a four-match losing streak heading into this weekend.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions remain at home for the next two weekends. On Feb. 11-12, Penn State hosts Rutgers-Newark and Princeton before welcome Mount Olive and Lees McRae to Rec Hall on Feb. 18-19.
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.